Barbie and Binge Eating Disorder: A Marriage Made in Heaven

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder in the United States. Millions of BED sufferers also struggle with weight and co-occurring disorders. So what does Barbie and Binge Eating Disorder have in common?

They are simultaneously bombarded with national media images, shows and magazines depicting unrealistically thin people as the ideal we should all strive for.

Barbie

Barbie, Mattel’s global cash cow, does over one billion in sales across 150 countries.[1] We citizens of the developed world grow up knowing of Barbie, and if we are female, likely owning at least one Barbie during our childhood.

Barbie is the quintessential example of the predominant American perspective of a beautiful young lady. This American perspective has spread globally and due to acculturation, many other countries citizens now also hold this narrow American perception of beauty as an ideal, too.

Body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem often go hand in hand with Binge Eating Disorder sufferers. Because they often feel out of control of their eating, it is nearly impossible to conform to the societal ideals portrayed by Barbie, Ken (her male counterpart) and the media.

Because we know that BED is an eating disorder, we recommend professional treatment by a therapist, physician and nutritionist to address this highly distressing disorder.

Challenges

Challenges arise though because the BED Treatment team can provide excellent counseling, nutrition and exercise advice. They can impart important coping skills that will empower the BED sufferer to deal more effectively with the ups and downs of life without resorting to the familiar destructive pattern of binge eating.

However, the individual must go back out into the world and be bombarded with images of “perfect bodies” that can easily unsettle the long-term recovery process they are working on and convince the individual that they should throw out all the advice and simply significantly reduce their intake and do whatever it takes to reach this thin ideal.

This line of thought is highly counterproductive for those seeking long term recovery from binge eating disorder.

The woman with BED likely grew up seeing Barbie as a beauty ideal (males probably saw Ken or GI Joe) and compared themselves to these inanimate dolls and found themselves lacking.

The female BED sufferer probably saw Barbie commercials and toy advertisements depicting Barbie leading a pretend life where she is adored, important and treated like a princess.

It is not hard to imagine how she might have concluded her ticket in life is to be beautiful and thin. How then does this girl or woman with a different body type than Barbie accept and love herself?

Can we assume that most females have such strong and resilient self-esteem that this does not impact their self-image? Doubtful, when approximately 50% of girls between the ages of 6 and 12 years old are worried about weight and becoming fat. Sadly this fear stays with them for life.{2}

More Curvaceous

So, the new Barbie is more curvaceous, has a fuller face and a more rounded stomach and bottom. She is more modern looking in her hair and dress.

The new Barbie seems to reflect the body acceptance now exemplified through high profile celebrities such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Demi Lovato.

This change was brought about because sales declined for the old version of Barbie and Mattel had to get with the times in order to continue to profit from this doll.

It was likely more well-informed consumers and concerned individuals that stopped buying into this false beauty ideal and did not invest in or present Barbie’s to their impressionable girls that drove the decline in Mattel’s sales.

So, though binge eating disorder sufferers have to struggle with a lot of societal norms that can be triggering to their eating disorder, perhaps this small step of Barbie morphing into a wider diversity of acceptable body sizes and shapes will snowball into other media and cultural changes.

I am certain of this, a more realistic and balanced portrayal of healthy bodies coming in many sizes, shapes and looks will benefit binge eating disorder sufferers and all individuals.

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Sources:

1. Dockterman, E. (2016, February 8). A Barbie for Everybody. Time, 43-51.
2. Smolak, L. (2011). Body image development in childhood. In T. Cash & L. Smolak (Eds.),
Body Image: A Handbook of Science, Practice, and Prevention (2nd ed.).New York: Guilford.
About the author:

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About the author:

Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC – Founder & Director

Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC founded Eating Disorder Hope in 2005, driven by a profound desire to help those struggling with anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. This passion resulted from her battle with, and recovery from, an eating disorder. As president, Jacquelyn manages Ekern Enterprises, Inc. and the Eating Disorder Hope website. In addition, she is a fully licensed therapist with a closed private counseling practice specializing in the treatment of eating disorders.

Jacquelyn has a Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree from The University of Phoenix and a Masters degree in Counseling/Psychology, from Capella University. She has extensive experience in the eating disorder field including advanced education in psychology, participation and contributions to additional eating disorder groups, symposiums, and professional associations. She is a member of the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), Academy of Eating Disorders (AED), the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) and the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp).

Jacquelyn enjoys art, working out, walking her golden retriever “Cowgirl”, reading, painting and time with family.
Although Eating Disorder Hope was founded by Jacquelyn Ekern, this organization would not be possible without support from our generous sponsors.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on February 9, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com