Imagine you are a 5 year old girl playing with dolls and brushing your Barbie's hair feeling fat. A 5 year old feeling fat seems crazy, right? Well, with the influence Barbie has had for years, younger and younger girls feel like their bodies aren't "perfect." Eating disorders, unrealistic expectations, and self-confidence are all in jeopardy once a girl is rewarded with her first Barbie doll. It would make sense to ban Barbie. A psychological experiment conducted in 2006 in the United Kingdom tested 162 girls aged between 5 and 8 to assess how girls view their own body image. They found that people exposed to Barbie produced “lower self-esteem and a greater desire for a thinner body.” (Hoskins) Being exposed to Barbie at a young age, the after effects can trigger illnesses in girls. Heidi Montag is an example of how Barbie influenced her life. He has undergone 21 surgeries in his pursuit of “perfection.” Because girls are impressionable at all ages, Barbie appeals to girls to fantasize about being perfect. Girls look at Barbie and believe they can achieve all of her attributes, when in reality that would be impossible. Having a goal of becoming an astronaut or a pediatrician seems likely at a young age, but Barbie's image and all of her successes are never a result of education, hardship, or any stress they would face Today. A fantasy world is constructed and deemed probable due to Barbie's one-sided point of view. Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently attached at 110 pounds with a book titled: "How to Lose Weight" with instructions inside that simply said, "Do not eat." Body dysmorphic disorder is defined as “a psychological disorder” the disorder was… in the middle of the paper… at a young age and continued to be imprinted in their minds forever. Not many arguments or tests are made about the positive effects of Barbie. Sure, she's a role model, but what about when girls set goals for themselves and later in life don't meet those expectations? Unlike Barbie, most of these goals are unrealistic and cannot be achieved. Barbie offers alternatives to the female stereotype of mother and wife, but marriage is not as perfect as it is portrayed. He encounters absolutely no difficulties. Works Cited Hoskins, S. (n.d.). The negative effects of Barbie on girls and long-term results. Retrieved from http://www.divinecaroline.com/life-etc/momhood/negative-effects-barbie-young-girls-long-term-resultsPerez, A. (n.d.). How racism affects children: The doll test. Retrieved from http://feminspire.com/how-racism-affects-children-the-doll-test/