This is an image from a recent issue of O magazine. It depicts a naked model covered in dotted lines showing what a plastic surgeon would have to change to make the model obtain the body of the barbie doll she is holding. My first reaction to this photo was both of shock and sadness. First, to think of all the procedures one would have to have; a brow lift, sculpted jaw line, rhinoplasty, breast lift, liposuction, etc. These aren't even half of the procedures one would need. Second, this girl is beautiful; she is a model. If a model has to go through all of those changes to be considered perfect, it made me question how much I would need to change to be the ideal. However, I then started to think of what we have talked about in class about bodies and how "every image is an argument"and I began to look at the picture in a different way. The dotted lines on the woman show her imperfections. But she is beautiful and her imperfections are what make her that way. Society has given us icons like barbie to show what the ideal woman is supposed to look like. It has also given us a way to achieve the body of a barbie doll but that doesn't necessarily mean it should be achieved. The point of this image is to argue the ideal body image. It is intended to change women's' and society standard of perfection. Can you imagine if this model were to get all of the surgical procedures? She would look scary, not perfect. Perfect is unattainable.
I rather enjoyed your post, because Barbie dolls were such a big toy in the 90s and to have a child's favorite toy, a representation of the 'ideal' woman be so unattainable as you say, is frankly ironic. I agree that this 'ideal' woman image is unfeasible: a study done about body proportions of the Barbie doll compared to the average woman showed that a real life size Barbie doll would fall over because the proportions of the upper body could not be supported by the lower body. Such an interesting issue that can be seen in many girl dolls in our culture. I wonder what toy makers are thinking when they produce these dolls with impossible body proportions?
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said about how this image is about ideal body image. I, along with what Im sure is a majority of the girls in our class, grew up playing with Barbie Dolls. While I dont specifically remember thinking that I wanted to look like Barbie, I do know that growing up I believed that if I wanted to be as "cool" or "popular" as Barbie, I had to be pretty. In my opinion, the toy makers need to show that to achieve all the things that Barbie has "done" in her life, it is not necessary to look like her.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Society has been pushing women to fit the 'ideal body'...something considered to be easily attainable through diet and exercise. However, I think that this is flawed. The 'ideal body' just doesn't exist. Everyone has a different opinion of what the definition of 'ideal' is. And to some, a Barbie represents this perfectly. Yet, most people know that this representation is hard, maybe even impossible, to come by. With perfect body proportions just not possible without extensive surgery, as this picture shows, we may need to re-evaluate our perceptions of the 'ideal body'. We need to show the younger generation that appearance isn't everything...there is more to a person than just how they look.
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