Complaints have existed for years, and a 2006 University of Sussex study concluded that dolls like Barbie, "may damage girls’ body image, which would contribute to an increased risk of disordered eating and weight cycling."
Let's take a look, shall we?
Barbie and the other dolls are at 1:6 scale, while American Girl is about 1:3 scale, although the occasional 1:4 and 1:2 items can work, too. (BTW, eBay has an excellent doll scale guide.)
Barbie dolls:
Mattel
Height: 11.5 inches
Bust: 5 inches
Waist: 3.5 inches
If human:
Height: 5'9"
Bust: 30 inches
Waist: 21 inches
Monster High dolls:
Mattel
Height: 10.5 inches
Bust: 2.75 inches
Waist: 2 inches
If human:
Height: 5'3"
Bust: 16.5 inches
Waist: 12 inches
Bratz dolls:
MGA Entertainment
Height: 10 inches
Bust: 3.5 inches
Waist: 2.5 inches
If human:
Height: 5'
Bust: 21 inches
Waist: 15 inches
American Girl dolls:
Mattel
Height: 18 inches
Bust: 11.25 inches
Waist: 11 inches
Thankfully she liked American Girl proportions:
For the American Girl dolls, which are designed to look like girls and not teenagers or adult women, I multiplied the dimensions by 3.5 to put the girls in the 4-foot range. If American Girl dolls came to life to help their Swedish-immigrant family on the farm or miraculously escape American slavery, they would stand 4'6" tall and have 33.75" busts and 33" waists. Good for them!
While Momma and I both agree to some points of the argument, we still stand by Monster High and its 2011-2013 slogan: "Be yourself, be unique, be a monster!"
We LOVE how these dolls celebrate differences. As well as having individual face and body molds, many compare Ghoulia to children with autism, klutzes relate to Frankie, short people like Draculaura and Twyla, and Steampunks like Robecca.
Yes, they are skinny but, hey, they are monsters! I certainly don't intend on ripping my fiberfill guts out and replace them with gears.
