I recently wrote an article about factors that contribute to a poor body image in young girls. In the article I mentioned that Barbie dolls are just dolls and not the root cause of a poor body image. Even taking in account of all the images girls are bombarded with day in and day out of thin girls the issues run deeper. The worst thing in a girl’s life is having the reinforcement of these body images coming from home such as criticism from a parent or a mom who openly expresses her poor body image. However, many want to lessen the overall impact of body image issues and feel dolls do hold power over young girls. I do not deny the power of images and dolls that may contribute to a poor body image. While I do not think it ranks in the top three, I do think encouraging your girls to play with dolls that do not take body image into account is a good idea. Let me be honest and tell you that my girls play with Barbie dolls. I will not go into all the reasons why I do not mind a Barbie doll but I understand that moms are looking for other dolls that do not carry the controversy of Barbie. Here are a few options for your daughter of dolls that are more realistic.
Go! Go! Sports Dolls: These dolls were intentionally made to reinforce a positive body image and to encourage physical activity among girls ages 3 to 12. They dolls come in a variety of skin and hair colors and represent different sports from soccer to gymnastics. The dolls are plush and look like little girls.
Best Friends Club, Ink or BFC, Ink: You can find these 18” dolls at Target. The dolls are more childlike in appearance, interests, and in clothing.
Children of America Dolls: These dolls have an American Girl feel to them. They are sweet, childlike and the clothing is unmistakably modest. The dolls also come in different ethnicity groups.
Or course you can look into American Girl dolls, and a new line of American Girl doll looking dolls at Wal-Mart. Do your research and your little girl can have a doll that fits her.