Believe it or not, folks, a normally-proportioned Barbie doll has finally hit the market. The doll, called Lamilly, was created in the image of the average young American woman – fuller, rounder, with acne, cellulite, stretch marks, and more!
Lammily is the brainchild of artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm, who had always been frustrated with the unrealistic proportions of Barbie dolls. One day, he decided to create a fun, appealing doll with natural makeup and a casual wardrobe.
“I feel that, right now, dolls are very ‘perfect’ looking, when, in real life, few of us have perfect skin,” he told reporters. “So, why not give dolls a ‘real treatment?’ Things like acne, stretch marks, and cellulite are a natural part of who we are.” Lamm wanted little girls to get used to the idea that these things are normal and not ‘flaws’ to be ashamed of.
He began by scaling the measurements of an average 19-year-old woman and incorporated them into the dolls features. He also added a specialised sticker pack, allowing kids to add ‘marks’ to their dolls – right from tattoos and scars to moles and grass stains.
Once he had a Lammily prototype ready, Lamm ran a highly successful Kickstarter campaign through which he crowdfunded $501,000 to manufacture the dolls. Each doll now retails at $24.99, with a $6 sticker pack and fashion options that will be available from January.
Lammily’s identity is also customizable, as each doll comes with a passport that can be filled out with a unique full name and country of birth. Lammily has movable legs and detailed, separate toes that support action, so she actually stands flat on her feet, unlike Barbie’s permanent ‘high heeled’ mode.
“You know, people were saying this whole project was a joke from the beginning, so I have no doubt some people will take it as a joke,” Lamm commented. “But I hope there are enough people who believe what I believe. I think 25 to 30 percent will think the stickers are stupid and the rest will think it’s good.”
Lamm is confident that this is the doll that people have been waiting for. And he might not be wrong, afterall. He filmed a video of school kids reacting to realistic dolls and their responses are quite heartening. Most girls said they like her, while others observed that she’s cool. Many second graders even went as far as to say: “She looks like my sister.”
via TIME
