Anatomical Barbie Reveals Just How Impossible Her Proportions Are
A NYC-based artist has created an anatomical sculpture of Barbie, complete with internal organs, but Barbie’s digestive system doesn’t quite fit (right). The anatomical layout of a regular body (left). (Photo: DailyMail.co.uk/thinkstock.com)
We’ve seen plenty of articles before about just how unrealistic Barbie’s proportions are. In real life Barbie would probably be around 5’ 9” with a 36-inch bust, 18-inch waist and 33-inch hips. Oh, and she’d weigh around 110lbs. (For point of reference: according to the CDC, a 5’9” woman that weighs 124 lbs or less qualifies as underweight). Now, an NYC-based artist is using his anatomical sculptures to drive the point home in another way.
Jason Freeny has been creating anatomical illustrations since 2000 and anatomical sculptures since 2010, but before that he worked as a toy designer; something that I’m sure comes in handy when creating his sculptures. Freeny has worked with other toys in the past like Hello Kitty, Lego, and plastic Gummi Bears, but Barbie is probably the most controversial. Click through to see more angles of the sculpture.
This would have haunted our dreams as small children. (photo: DailyMail.co.uk)
As you can see above, Barbie’s internal organs look a little cramped. While an 18-inch waist isn’t unheard of, it’s not exactly common either. An article on Huffington Post earlier this month profiled a British woman with the smallest waist reported in England. The 22-year old began wearing corsets at 14 and now wears them between 20-23 hours a day, even to sleep. Although she’s been able to whittle her waist down to 15.7 inches around with a corset on (only .7 inches away from the current Guinness World Record holder, 75-year-old Cathie Jung!), when she removes the corset her natural waist is actually 24 inches. Disturbingly, the woman is quoted as saying “When I’m not wearing a corset I can feel all my organs shifting back into place.” Yikes! For a more relatable example, Dita Von Teese apparently has an 18-inch waist when she’s wearing a corset.
What’s your take on this? Should Mattel start producing Barbies with body-shapes more realistic and similar to most women?
—Lorelei
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Barbie in a new light. Remember this edgy hair makeover a London salon gave her?
