Swimsuit season is right around the corner. Regardless of what that means to you, "Normal Barbie" is here to say that all bodies are already bikini ready.
"Normal Barbie," aka the Lammily doll, was created to contrast the traditional (and dangerously disproportional) Barbie. Showing average bodily proportions, bodies adorned with marks, scars and natural makeup, the "Normal Barbie" has made her fair share of news over the past two years.
In a new commercial for the revolutionary doll, the star finds herself in an adventure that brings some of society's harshest beauty standards to light. Images that resemble American Apparel ads, Victoria's Secret shows and more which showcase dolls with "super slim bodies" (often in sexualized positions) are shown, rather than an inclusive picture of what different women look like around the world.
Lammily highlights how these narratives seep into our daily lives, especially in social media. She gets a shoutout from Mom and three likes on a Facebook picture of her DJing, while another doll posts a bikini picture, which gets hundreds of likes and several comments on her "perfect" appearance.
In the end, Lammily finds herself on a Miami beach with other dolls that are just like her, proving there shouldn't be a standard when it comes to wearing swimsuits... or wearing anything, for that matter.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, the doll's creator Nickolay Lamm explains that the commercial opens up the conversation surrounding society's view of appearance, despite its parodic nature. Lamm tells BuzzFeed, "The message of the video is to do you, to be yourself," adding, "I feel that in the doll world, the standards are funny. So, if we can laugh at the standards in the doll world, maybe it will be easier to laugh at them in the real world."
Lamm also released a video of second graders and middle schoolers who responded positively to the Lammily dolls. One seventh grader specifically speaks to Lamm's point that the doll's "imperfections" can teach a lesson, especially to adolescents. The student says, "It's better at a young age to learn it's OK to have bruises or bumps or marks like that."
Watch the video above and more importantly, #DoYou.
Related
Before You Go
