Life-size Barbie gets real women talking

Video: Barbie’s 39” bust, 18” waist stir body-image debate

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2. Closed captioning of: Barbie’s 39” bust, 18” waist stir body-image debate

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   >>> well, every woman probably played with one when she was a girl -- a barbie doll . you will meet a college student with a special relationship to this day with one barbie in particular. she's hoping to generate an adult conversation about the impact the doll can have on young women as they grow up. she's a sophomore at hamilton college , a 20-year-old who brings a barbie to school complete with her own carrying case, but the barbie didn't come from a toy store . it was created by galia herself.

   >> she's much bigger than the barbie i used to have.

   >> reporter: and that's the point. her version of a life-sized barbie was put on display at her college for national eating disorder awareness week.

   >> my goal of barbie is to create discussion. you can't ignore her.

   >> reporter: four years ago galia was overcoming her own battle with anorexia. although there were many factors that contributed she said barbie left an impression as she grew up.

   >> this idea of being so thin, so perfect. it would come back to this idea of looking like barbie , perfect.

   >> reporter: with nails, wood and two balloons she said barbie came to life. according to the measurements if barbie werele reel she would be 6'0" tall, with a 39 inch bust, 18 inch waist and 33 inch hips.

   >> it's one factor that plays a role in a young girl 's development.

   >> reporter: and it was shock and awe.

   >> for me and my friends it elicited shame.

   >> that's what the media portrays. this is what counts as beautiful.

   >> reporter: mattel has come under fire before about the doll's proportions and the website acknowledges barbie is, quote, not scaled to human measurements ."

   >> we can't blame barbie for all of our body image woes but this life-sized model of barbie allow allows parents to say with confidence that barbie may be fun and games , but she's not real.

   >> reporter: a real life lesson galia hopes to pass on.

   >> it's beyond barbie . it's about finding who you are, not wanting to become barbie , the celebrity, that person. it's about finding that internal view.

   >> reporter: in a statement to msnbc.com mattel said girls see female body images everywhere and it is critical that parents and caregivers provide perspective on what they are seeing. remember, barbie is a doll who stands 11.5 inches tall and weighs 7.25 ounces. she was never modeled on the proportions of a real person. galia is here with lesly goldman, a body image expert. good morning.

   >> good morning.

   >> i know we were chuckling as we look at the life-sized barbie you created and the guys especially chuckling more. this is no laughing matter to you because this was something that came out of an eating disorder , right?

   >> mm-hmm.

   >> do you think barbie contributed initially to some of the ideas of perfection as a young girl for you?

   >> definitely. i think barbie is just one factor in many. there are so many environmental factors with an eating disorder . you think of young girls in the grocery aisle and different magazines saying how to lose weight , lose five pounds. the media, your parents, your friends. there are so many pressures to look and be a certain way. there is a drive for thinness. with barbie , you can tell when scaled up she has crazy proportions. as a young girl looking at her it's important to realize that she's not real. that's the point of the get real barbie campaign. she isn't real.

   >> the measurements are a 39-inch bust, 18 inch waist, 33-inch hips. you based these on the national eating disorder association's website where they have the get real barbie campaign. are you blaming barbie for the message being put out there to young girls?

   >> no, not at all. she's one of many different factors. i don't blame barbie for the eating disorder . so many things contribute to the eating disorder and many misconceptions of why people have eating disorders .

   >> leslie, so many things contribute to the stereotypes and images that young women see and they are bombarded with images of perfection. how does that impact young girls that start off playing with dolls.

   >> it's barbie , diet pills , air brushed ads, reality shows about plastic surgery. all the forces conspire to make young girls and grown women feel like garbage about ourselves. we look at these images and think we need to measure up. obviously when we see what galia did there is no way we could measure up, nor would we want to.

   >> some people pay for that, but not here. why should parents and educators pay special attention to the message and what galia is trying to put out there. it's brave of you to step out. this is a real awakening.

   >> it's incredibly brave. it happens to millions of young girls and boys , too. what parents need to realize is little kids are so impression nabl. they are like sponges. i don't think either of us are saying burn barbie . we're saying, make sure you are a positive role model to kids and show them. you know, don't refuse to take the cover-up off at the beach because you don't want to be seen in a bathing suit. don't look at yourself in the mirror and talk about being on a diet. have control over the media, magazines, lingerie catalogs that may be ly tossed on the kitchen table. kids soak that up.

   >> thank you. nice job. coming up next, the moment his

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