We're used to seeing skinny Barbie on the store shelves, but what if toy companies made a plus-sized version of the blonde bombshell?
"There should be a variety of sizes of Barbie," said Tracy Walthard, a Sonoma resident who liked the idea.
On Facebook the group, Plus Size Modeling posed the question and nearly 40,000 people liked the idea, but not necessarily the image.
"The double chin isn't necessary," said Sara Mohassel, a San Jose resident.
Facebook users agree and slammed the plus sized depiction. Dietician and nutritionist Assoc. Prof. Ashwini Wagle from San Jose State University's Department of Nutrition goes so far as to call plus sized Barbie "obese". In fact, she doesn't like either Barbie.
"I'm one of those saying take these out. These are not real. This is unrealistic. Bring in the more normal person," said Wagle. Chrystal Bougon, the owner of Curvy Girl Lingerie in San Jose, said growing up she'd always known she'd never look like the stereotypical Barbie. She said in response to a photo of the plus-sized Barbie, "I'm pretty fat. I don't have a triple chin. I have a double chin."
She said it was over the top, but agreed something is better than nothing. Bougon told us, "I'd prefer to see a plus sized Barbie, a curvy girl Barbie doll that doesn't have a triple chin, but if that's all we get, I'll take it."
Barbie's manufacturer has not gotten involved in the debate.
