The original Barbie doll, released in 1959, featured long legs, a small waist, and blonde locks. However, a mother from Tochester, Northamptonshire, in the UK, did not feel represented in the doll her daughter played with, and accused the toy of showing that women should have “perfect proportions”.
Kate Claxton, who suffered from postpartum depression, began to hate her body and the scars left by her pregnancy. Then he decided to paint stripes with varnish on his daughter’s Barbie, a fan of the doll, to see the reaction of the three-year-old. “I decided to paint the marks on Barbie, then dress the doll and encourage her to change the doll’s clothes, but she didn’t comment on the stretch marks, which I think is fine, it’s normal for her now,” he says. BBC.
The 35-year-old mum says that although there are “more universal” versions of this doll, she hasn’t found one that represents the stretch marks that many women suffer from. in Statements to the BBCHe argues that “I would love for manufacturers to make Barbies with stretch marks, to send the message that there is no reason to worry.”
However, the American company Mattel, which is famous for this game, has introduced, in recent years, a group of dolls, including Barbie with Down syndrome, hearing aids, a prosthesis and a wheelchair, in an attempt to make it more popular. diverse. Previously, the company had been criticized for the fact that traditional Barbies did not represent real women.
The former theater director is also the author of a children’s book, My mom is a tigerAnd which he wrote when his daughter was only three months old. The story is about a girl who discovers why her mother has “stripes,” demystifying the stigma around stretch marks. Around 13,000 copies have already been sold worldwide.
Claxton also points out, “Children who read the book asked their mothers if they had streaks, and that gave a lot of women the confidence to show their stretch marks to their children and the rest of the world.” She is currently writing other children’s books, including one about normalizing bodies on the beach.
“It is very important to expose our children to as much diversity as possible,” the author states. She asserts, “I want my daughter to grow up acknowledging all the different ways to be ‘normal’.” He adds, regarding his daughter, that she “knows her mother has stretch marks and that it’s nothing special” and hopes she “wouldn’t worry if she had them when she was older”.
Salman Rushdie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, politics, literature, and international affairs. He focuses on delivering clear, informative reporting that helps readers understand the people, events, and trends influencing today’s world.
