A recent study has revealed that 90% of all the women who have eating disorders are aged between 12-25. In pursuit of that unattainable goal, they will literally starve themselves to death. They are dying to be like Barbie.
However, Rehabs.com has found out that if Barbie was a real woman she'd be forced to walk on all fours and would be physically incapable of lifting her over-sized head.
Using data from the 1996 study "Ken and Barbie At Life Size," which was originally published in the academic journal Sex Roles, an infographic was made which compares the proportions of a Barbie's body to the body of the average American woman as well as the average model and the average anorexic woman.
While Barbie's head is two inches larger than the average US woman's, her waist is 19 inches smaller and her hips are 11 inches smaller. Since her waist would be four inches thinner than her head, Barbie's body wouldn't have the room it needs to hold all of its vital organs, and her uber-skinny ankles and child-size feet would make it necessary for her to walk on all fours.
In addition to comparing Barbie's body proportions to the average American woman's, it also compares them to the average anorexic woman.
Apart from Mattel's toy invention, the study revealed that women were also infuleced by sitcoms, magazines and movies.
Increasingly, an online culture has also emerged of women who not only admit to suffering from an eating disorder, but don't consider themselves to be "suffering" at all.
Together, they share diet "tips", encourage one another to have the willpower to deny food, and trade in "thinspiration" or "thinspo" images of models and celebrities who represent the bodies they want to have.
The study also reveals that Anorexia nervosa is the single deadliest mental health condition and 5% to 20% of people diagnosed with anorexia will ultimately die from its ravaging effects on the body and mind: cardiac complications, organ failure, and even suicide.
The study is a disturbing reminder of how pop culture, toys and everyday exposure to sitcoms play a huge role in influencing women.
Additionally, it's never bad to be reminded just how unrealistic the bodies of the dolls you grew up playing with are.
