Barbie and Ken may still be fashion dolls, but a new Australian study suggests they now look far closer to real people than they did three decades ago.
Researchers from the University of Adelaide and UNSW Sydney revisited a landmark 1996 study that examined the body proportions of the iconic dolls and found that newer versions have become noticeably more realistic.
Using the same scientific methods as the original research, the team measured dolls from the current Fashionista Barbie range, including Curvy, Tall, Petite and Standard Barbie, along with the latest Ken doll. They compared those measurements with body proportions of adults aged 18 to 35.
The study found that key measurements, including waist-to-hip and chest-to-waist ratios, are now much closer to those found in real populations than the proportions of earlier Barbie and Ken dolls.
Among the Fashionista range, Curvy Barbie most closely matched average female body proportions, while the latest Ken also showed more realistic proportions than previous versions.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Sara Grafenauer from UNSW Medicine & Health said the findings suggest the dolls now reflect a wider range of body types.
“Barbie and Ken are among the most recognisable cultural icons globally, and for many children, they’re an early and influential representation of what bodies of adults ‘should’ look like,” she said.
She said the original dolls had body shapes that were highly unrealistic and statistically uncommon.
“Our study found that Barbie and Ken’s body proportions today have become markedly more realistic, with waist-to-hip and chest-to-waist measurements now falling within the normal range for key female body proportions, albeit still below the typical female averages,” she said.
The researchers noted that Ken has also moved closer to average male proportions, although some measurements, particularly his chest-to-waist ratio, remain less representative of the average man.
The study revisited research that attracted international attention in the 1990s, when researchers argued that the original dolls presented body proportions that would be extremely rare in real life.
Research on body image has long suggested that exposure to unrealistic body ideals can influence how children and teenagers view themselves and others, although experts generally regard body image as being shaped by a range of factors, including family, peers, media and social environments.
Professor Kevin Norton, who co-authored both the 1996 and the current study, said the changes reflected shifting expectations around representation.
“The positive changes we’re seeing in Barbie and Ken’s body shapes should provide some reassurance for health professionals and parents choosing these dolls,” he said.
He said the broader range of body shapes available in the Fashionista line better reflected the diversity children encounter in everyday life.
Co-researcher Belinda Durey said toys can play a role in shaping children’s perceptions of bodies, health and identity, and that greater diversity in size, shape and proportion could have a positive influence.
The researchers measured a wide range of body dimensions, including the head, neck, chest, waist, hips, limbs and overall height ratios, and compared them with contemporary population data.
They say the dolls remain stylised, but the latest versions are substantially closer to average human body proportions than earlier generations, offering a more realistic representation than the Barbie and Ken of the past.
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