By Heather Farrell
OPINIONS EDITOR

When a Pittsburgh man, Nickolay Lamm, started an art project in 2013, he never expected it to get the reception it did.

Lamm created what is referred to as a “normal sized” Barbie doll with the proportions of an average 19-year-old woman. There is even a sticker pack with things like acne, stretch marks, bruises, and tattoos that a child can put on the doll.

The new Lammily doll comes with a sticker pack that includes acne and stretch marks.
Photo Credit:www.boredpanda.com

Barbie has always been under fire for not having “proper proportions” and causing girls to have a negative self body image. What people forget to realize, though, is Barbie is just a doll. Dolls don’t have “proper proportions”; what about Polly Pockets? Are they the right size?

This isn’t to undermine the fact that what Lamm has done can be beneficial. Some parents don’t want their children playing with Barbie dolls because of their size and shape.

Now with the new Lammily doll, these children don’t have to feel left out. While their friends are playing with Barbie, they can be playing with Lammily. It’s not like the dolls are drastically different–the only difference is their size and shape.

Lammily dolls have more possibilities for playtime. The dolls have moveable joints–compared to Barbie’s barely bendable ones. This allows children to have more ways to play with the doll by putting her into different poses. “She’s more like a real live person,” said one girl in a video about reactions to Lammily.

The sticker packs that come with Lamilly allow children to express their creativity. “It allows a new sense of individuality, expression, and identity,” Lammily creator, Lamm, says.

The new Lammily doll has been called the “normal Barbie”
Photo Credit:lammily.com

The only thing wrong with the Lammily doll is when people start calling her the “normal Barbie doll.” It paints the picture that normal is being Caucasian with brown hair. At least Barbie comes in different ethnicities. Lammily is just a developing doll, however, so the creator is planning to expand her image.

“When you start introducing a doll or a body type as ‘normal,’ it means others are abnormal and if we continue along those lines, we are creating a problem,” a Missouri mother of five states.

While Lammily might be an answer to some parents’ prayers, don’t forget about Barbie. She didn’t do anything wrong. There is no reason why they both can’t exist in the world.