- The Washington Times - Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Social media is on fire over the fate of the decades-old Barbie doll and the question of her weight: Should she stay thin or grow thicker in the waist?

Plus Size Modeling.com’s Facebook page posts the contrasting pictures, along with the question of whether toy companies ought to start churning out larger-size dolls as a means of smoothing ruffled self-esteem feathers for girls. The Facebook section has generated more than 41,000 likes, and received more than 5,700 comments and nearly 3,100 shares — but not all see the need for the proposed Barbie.

One writes: Fatter is fine. But “Barbie doesn’t need a double chin. You can be ’plus size’ w/o the double chin. They could make a ’thick’ Barbie.”

Another agreed: “The double chin a little ridiculous, but I’m all for it.”

And still another: “Why not make Barbies of all sizes and shapes instead — just like us humans are? I’m all for that.”

Twitter, meanwhile, has seen similar action on the Barbie debate.

ABC News showed the contrasting views, with one tweeter writing, “We need a #plussizebarbie. A person’s shape does not change his/her heart.” In contrast, another wrote: “This whole plus-size Barbie thing is utterly ridiculous. Since apparently we’re encouraging obesity, let’s also come out with diabetes Barbie.”

• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.

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