Blame it on Barbie?

http://m.refinery29.com/2014/02/61795/barbie-designers-body-image-issue?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=post

I read an interesting article last week on Barbie's potential influence on body image (post above) on children as well as adults, and as growing up playing with barbies I was curious to see, is Barbie really to Blame?

The argument of the article is: do the unrealistic proportions of Barbie affect the mental health of the child? As we have all heard, if Barbie was real, her proportions would have her walking on all fours because she would be so top heavy.  Galia Slayen, a former student at Hamilton College, was the first to really show what Barbie would look like if she were real.

Barbie does lok ridiculous when we use her "real-life" proportions (everything besides her head). Definitely not as attractive as when she is in her normal toy form. As adults, we are aware that she is not how people actually look and as adults we are aware that Barbie is only a toy, but as children, do they know what we as adults know? Im leaning towards no. The article made a good point that at the same age they are playing with Barbies is the same age they still believe in Santa Claus. They dont see Barbie's "flaws" the same as adults see them. Barbie is whatever the child makes them out to be, one day she is playing mommy to Skipper, one day she is rescuing puppies as a veterinarian, one day she is your buddy in the bath tub, and one day she is your very best friend. Barbie is never casted as the blonde bombshell or the hot girl at the club. Barbie seems to just be the vessel of childhood imagination, not someone who dictates it. I find it hard to believe that Barbie can be responsible for childhood low-self esteem, low self-worth, poor body image, or promoting eating disorders. Not that I rule out Barbie has zero influence, but i find it to be minimal. What I think is more important is the people surrounding the child and how they foster a healthy image of how people should look, behave, and think. If  a child has parents or guardians that are promoting individuality, self-worth, and positive body image, they are going to be less likely to be influenced by the societal pressures of being Barbie. We as a society tend to find reasons to blame external uncontrollable factors for things that occur, instead of trying to focus on what we can do right now to make the situation better. I think this article is a perfect example of the struggle of who's to blame. 
As parents, guardians, brothers, sisters, FRIENDS etc we can have a great influence on the ideals of a child, regardless of what society is pressuring them to be. If we help to create a strong sense of self, the child is less likely to be influenced on what others have told them they need to be ( read this in one of my psych books, cant find the source, will post when i stumble upon it so for now take my word for it). We all have the power to positively or negatively reinforce someone, and compliments are always free, so we should use them more often. Although we cannot control all the outside influences on what society shows us to be ideal, we can help to influence others in our own way and it can be just if not more powerful. 
Thanks again for reading!