Curvy Barbie Is Here!

I ordered both Curvy Barbie and Petite Barbie; only Curvy Barbie has arrived. I'm not sure why Petite Barbie is backordered, unless there was just a greater demand for her. For now, I have Fashionista Doll 22, Chambray Chic. I think she's very pretty.

Her clothes are nothing special, but for a $10 doll that's to be expected. Her dress is a blue stretchy top, printed to look like a denim shirt, with a stretchy yellow skirt. One thing interesting is her belt. It has three holes in the back, so it can fit different sizes of dolls.

Fastened at the first hole, the belt just fits Made To Move Teresa.

Curvy Barbie's hair is silky soft, and there is no sign of glue. It's terribly uneven, though.

Curvy Barbie can't wear flats for the Made to Move dolls, nor can MTM Teresa wear Curvy Barbie's flats.

Curvy Barbie's feet have a slight arch.

I think Barbie's hands are nicely sculpted, although there is not much nail definition. I also took a picture of Barbie's hand with the hand of a bellybutton Teresa for comparison. They look very much alike.

There is much doll nudity below the fold, with comparisons of the Curvy body to older Barbie bodies. Come and see!
As has already been noticed by disappointed collectors, the new Fashionista bodies do not have much articulation. It was odd to handle a Barbie body that does not even have bendy-click knees. I took pictures of how far she can move her legs to the side, and front to back.

Here are comparison pics of Curvy Barbie and a Teresa on the bellybutton body.

Next we have Curvy Barbie and Asha. Asha's body is known as the Shani body, or Palms to Side body.

Lastly, a comparison between Curvy Barbie and Made to Move Teresa. These bodies are definitely where the most differences lie, at least in my collection.

Finally, a lineup of the four body types that I own. Oh, I may have the older Palms to Back body, but I didn't see it in a quick scan of my dolls. :)

 

I tried the new Barbie's dress on Teresa and Asha. It closed in the back on both girls, although the material was stretched a little bit tightly over Asha's chest.

Honestly, I think Curvy Barbie has the most well-represented *woman's* body. The other dolls shown here all have perfectly or almost perfectly flat stomachs. How many women have a flat stomach, and/or no curve in the rear? Bellybutton Teresa's body is probably the next closest to the average woman, but her legs are still rather thin, with little definition. Bellybutton Teresa also has that much-sought-after "thigh gap," as do Curvy Barbie's other friends. It's become rather a standing joke how certain celebrities have had that coveted thigh gap retouched into pictures. Sure, there are women whose metabolism allows them to have a body more like our older Barbies. And clothed, the older bodies may not look as different from many women. But even someone who works out may have a body closer to Curvy Barbie's, a toned body, but still curvy.

Barbie Millicent Roberts may have started life as a teenager, but over the course of her life, Mattel has changed her into an adult. She's no longer a student teacher or a candy-striper volunteer at the hospital, but a full-fledged teacher, nurse or doctor. I wasn't upset about how older bodies looked, nor do I think a Barbie doll is the only influence on what a little girl thinks she will look like when she grows up. For many of us, Barbie was not an influence on our idea of womanly bodies at all. We looked to actual women for that. But if there is a real market for a Barbie who looks more like a grown-up woman, this Barbie's pear-shaped body is not bad. We'll see if there are truly people who wanted a more womanly figure, or if only those who make a living shrieking about the latest outrage were calling for this. Hopefully, if Curvy Barbie sells well and stays around, she'll get more articulation. Maybe just bending elbows and knees? Even if I wasn't one of the ones calling for this change, I do like the new Barbie in town.