Mother Empowers Girls By Normalizing Stretch Marks Through Barbie Dolls
There is no doubt that most women have experienced stretch marks. Whether it’s because their weight fluctuates or after giving birth. However, having stretch marks is not something to be ashamed of, as some people embrace them. For example, in 2023, a mother who developed stretch marks while pregnant painted them on a Barbie doll to reassure her daughter that they are “perfectly normal.”
A Mother’s Journey To Love Her Body And Teach Her Daughter
Kate Claxton, 35 at the time, suffered from postnatal anxiety and despised her stretch marks after giving birth to her three-year-old daughter.
But, after learning to love her body, she wanted to educate her young child that there was nothing to be concerned about as she grew up. No one likes the sight of stretch marks when they first develop. However, if you recognize that it is normal to experience such things, you will accept them and continue to love yourself.
Using One’s Mind Towards Creativity
Kate’s daughter is now a huge Barbie enthusiast, but children’s author Kate claimed she couldn’t locate any dolls that resembled her own physique.
So she decided to apply stretch marks on a doll herself using nail polish and has since asked Mattel to do the same.
This concept is wonderful, as many young girls are conditioned to believe that real beauty means no stretch marks. For years, there have been countless ads on television with models exhibiting their “flawless” skin to viewers, conditioning us to believe that if we have one stretch mark on our bodies, we do not fulfill their standards.
Skin without stretch marks is great, but no one deserves negative labels because their skin does not compare to one without them. Everyone is unique and has a narrative about their skin experience that deserves to be shared.
Kate’s Commentary On Why Barbie Should Embrace Stretch Marks
Kate, of Swindon, UK, said:
“My daughter has really started getting into Barbies recently and I almost recoiled when I bought her first one. It was typically Barbie-like – perfectly proportioned, long legs, blonde hair. We’ve since brought other versions with vitiligo, prosthetic legs and fuller figures.
To their credit, they do more inclusive dolls but I could not find one anywhere with stretchmarks.
I have written a children’s book about stretchmarks and when I came to research it I found 96 percent of women have them. But there aren’t any dolls representing how normal this is, so I thought I would do one myself. When you look up stretchmarks it’s all about creams and treatments to get rid of them and I found little evidence of people embracing them.
And that’s what I think moms need to do, except they are perfectly normal and let their children know the same. Women are more likely to end up with stretch marks than have blonde hair so I think it’s about time Barbie got on board and made a doll to represent this. Children should know stretchmarks are natural for mommies, and any other women for that matter, to have.
There are many ways for people to be ‘normal’ and I believe kids should learn that from a young age. I didn’t want to pass my body hang-ups onto my daughter. I would love the manufacturers to make some Barbies with stretch marks to spread the message that they are nothing to worry about. I just believe it’s really important to expose our children to as much diversity as possible.”
Kate is right! Barbie has created dolls that depict a variety of conditions, including vitiligo, fuller figures, and artificial legs. However, it would be great to include dolls with stretch marks, as this is a common problem that women face every day. These works will inspire young girls and women to accept themselves, boosting their confidence.
Commentary Part 2
Kate, who lives with her husband Tony, 36, admitted to having body concerns after giving birth, as well as stretchmarks as a teenager.
The mom-of-one added:
“They really came out towards the end of my pregnancy and I hated them at first, but now I’m proud of them. I just used nail varnish to achieve the effect, I didn’t use one of my daughter’s current dolls, as it’s now too toxic to play with. But I had a conversation with her about what they were. We decided to get the doll changed and she didn’t mention the stretchmarks.
So hopefully they are already something completely normal to her and she won’t worry about them as she gets older and that’s what I wanted to achieve. She knows mommy has got stretch marks, and they’re not a big deal.”
Stretch marks after pregnancy are a great thing. It serves as a reminder that you spent months carrying a small bundle of joy in the oven in order to bring them into this world, love them, and be a role model in their lives. Kate did the right thing by teaching her daughter about stretch marks from an early age. Her intellect is still maturing, therefore she will be more coachable and open to new experiences.
Commentary Part 3
Claxton has created a self-published children’s book titled ‘My Mum’s a Tiger’, which has sold 13,000 copies worldwide, about a girl who discovers why her mother has stripes’ on her skin.
The former theatre marketing manager added:
“This is already something which is an important issue to me having written the book when my daughter was three-months-old. Children who have read the book ask if their moms have stripes and the feedback is that it has given a lot of women the confidence to show their stretch marks. I just think there are more ways of promoting this and with the Barbie film coming out too, I think Barbie should get on board.”
This book is brilliant! Kate appears to have sought to share a message with her daughter that was both educational and enjoyable to read, in order to capture her attention.
The Transformation Of Barbie From Idealized Beauty To Diversity
Mattel released the Barbie’s Fashion Doll collection in 2022, with an emphasis on disability portrayal and diversity inclusion. They feature dolls with Down’s syndrome, a hearing aid, vitiligo, a prosthetic leg, and a wheelchair as part of their “most diverse and inclusive doll line.”
Previously, in 2016, the toy giant produced dolls with larger bodies, a petite and tall Barbie, and a variety of races.
The first Barbie doll, released in 1959, had long legs, a small waist, and flowing blonde hair and was criticized for promoting unrealistic expectations of beauty.
It’s remarkable how Barbie has widened their horizons in terms of numerous sorts of beauty rather than sticking to one, as there will always be a wide variety of looks in the world.
