As a child, I was really into all things Barbie. I loved the clothes, the hair and all of the cool Barbie stuff. I had the town house, the dune-buggy, and the pop-up camper. I even had the airplane – and no one had the airplane. I would go to school with my Barbie backpack and whip out my Barbie lunch box in the cafeteria. I would fantasize what it would be like to be Barbie – beautiful and popular with a swell boyfriend named Ken who was tall, tan and blond.

Unfortunately, my relationship with Barbie did little to bolster my self-esteem. I had brown stringy hair, braces, and a face that my mother would say “had not jelled together”. Plus, my athletic legs would never match up to Barbie’s super thin thighs. Not that I am trying to blame Barbie for my low self-esteem, but having her in my life only added to what would ultimately be an obsession with being super thin and beautiful.

Today, girls in grade school are being constantly bombarded with images of the “perfect” women. This obsession with beauty and the super-thin has had a direct impact on the development of eating disorder. According to Camille Kraeplin, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Journalism for Southern Methodist University, over-exposure to beauty oriented images in the media can have negative effects on their self-perception and self-esteem. “Looking at, say, photographs of thin models in magazine advertisements may raise girls’ and women’s comparison standards for attractiveness and lower their satisfaction with their own attractiveness.” Although all media can have some effect, Kraeplin points to magazines as the most egregious “because of the sheer number of beauty-oriented images, both in the editorial and the advertising content.”

Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that you throw out your eight-year-old’s Barbie Dolls and discontinue your subscription to Vogue. Still, I think we, as parents need to be more sensitive to the impact that not only the outside media is having on our children, but also, our own issues with weight and beauty. Katherine Presnell, Ph.D, assistant professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University has this advice for parents:

• Focus on healthy behaviors rather than a particular weight or size
• Help children develop an identity that goes beyond physical appearance (e.g., compliment your child on how they look, just not only on how they look)
• Make physical activity part of your family’s routine
• Make sure your child eats a good breakfast and buy healthy snack foods
• Be aware of your own weight-related issues and model healthy behaviors
• Avoid “fat talk”—subtle comments that promote the thin-ideal, such as making negative comments about your (or someone else’s) weight or even complimenting someone on weight loss
• Teach children to be critical consumers of media
• Provide a supportive environment and keep the lines of communication open

According to Presnell, “Even in our weight-obsessed world, fostering a positive body image and healthy eating habits are possible. Parents can play a pivotal role in helping their children develop a healthy body image and in mitigating the effects of media promoting the pursuit of thinness at any cost.”

Abigail Natenshon, MA LCSW, agrees and wrote a recent article titled Parental Influence Takes Precedence Over Barbie and the Media. “If she were alive, Barbie would be a woman standing 7 feet tall with a waistline of 18 inches and a bustling of 38-40. In fact, she would need to walk on all fours just to support her peculiar proportions.” An important reality check for all of us current and former Barbie fans.