Barbie dolls have been popular among girls since they were introduced in 1959, but for many years they have been criticized for having profoundly unrealistic body proportions that are thought to lead many girls’ self-esteem to plummet after they hit puberty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie#Controversies

• One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a young woman, leading to a risk that girls who attempt to emulate her will become anorexic.^{[citation needed]} A standard Barbie doll is 11.5 inches tall, giving a height of 5 feet 9 inches at 1/6 scale. Barbie’s vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (chest), 18 inches (waist) and 33 inches (hips). According to research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, she would lack the 17 to 22 percent body fat required for a woman to menstruate.^[16] In 1963, the outfit “Barbie Baby-Sits” came with a book entitled How to Lose Weight which advised: “Don’t eat!.”^[17] The same book was included in another ensemble called “Slumber Party” in 1965 along with a pink bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs.,^[17] which would be around 35 lbs. underweight for a woman 5 feet 9 inches tall.^[18] Mattel said that the waist of the Barbie doll was made small because the waistbands of her clothes, along with their seams, snaps, and zippers, added bulk to her figure.^[19]
• In 1997, Barbie’s body mold was redesigned and given a wider waist, with Mattel saying that this would make the doll better suited to contemporary fashion designs.^[20][21]

Frankly, I do not know why Barbies were made the way they appear, nor do I care. If I had a daughter, I’d never buy her one!

I’d get her THIS instead:

https://www.lammily.com/average-is-beautiful

The creator of this new doll, Nickolay Lamm, started raising funds for it with the modest goal of $95,000. He ended up getting a whopping $501,384!  So clearly there is a demand for this doll. And…..