Barbie in the real size of American teen girl
Cairo: HelloEgy.
An American artist has created a barbie doll made to the exact measurements of the average American teen girl. in record time, hundreds of them were sold. The girls loved it and considered it as “ a friend and a good example” .
Artist Nickolay Lamm, 24, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, created a prototype of a plastic figurine last summer based on government measurements of an average 19-year-old American woman.
Now, in a bid to turn his idea into a reality he is appealing for funds via his website . In less than 24 hours, he has already raised more than $28,000 towards his $95,000 goal. His aim is to produce 5,000 'Lammily' dolls ready to ship out in November 2014. Each model features average proportions of a typical 19-year-old girl with a light amount of make-up, and bendy joints.
If the dolls are a success, he plans to extend the range to 'embrace diversity, from race to body type.'
In his research, Mr Lamm found that, scaled up to human size, Barbie dolls would have unrealistic measurements compared with the typical 19-year-old girl. Thanks to her ultra-slender measurements, it has been estimated that, if she were to exist as a human, Barbie would weigh about 110lbs and would have a BMI of 16.24. This would fit the weight criteria for anorexia.
Mr Lamm's hope is to promote a more positive body image to children. I wanted to show that average is beautiful. Rather than waiting for change to happen, let's be the change, so that our girls can grow up to become happier, stronger women, truly confident and proud in their own bodies.'' he says in a YouTube video for his crowd funding campaign.
Mr Lamm has been consulting with Robert Rambeau, former vice president of manufacturing at Mattel, for advice on finding a suitable manufacturer to produce his Lammily line.
While the production process has taken months to figure out, Mr Lamm says the biggest challenge will be getting children to go for something new.
Attempts at average-sized dolls in the past have not been successful, he says, but he believes that's because the 'average size' message wasn't appealing to kids. 'It would be like me trying to feed them broccoli,' he joked to Fast Company. Instead the entrepreneur wants children to see 'a cool-looking doll' and he will not push the 'average-looking' message too hard.
The public appear to be supportive of Mr Lamm's empowering goal. 'Awe this is awesome. it looks just like me! Thank you for making me feel beautiful!' one commenter said.
And another added: 'Thank God someone finally created an 'average Barbie' ... I love it! I hope by the time i have kids myself Lammily will have taken over the market.'
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