As the earth turns, so too do the body shamers shame. On the weekend they were targeted Tash Oakley and Bridget Malcolm.
Today, they’re coming for Amy Schumer.
The actress and comedienne just announced that she would be taking on the iconic role of Barbie in a live-action movie set for release in 2018. The response from the marie claire camp was excitement: who better to bring a frisson of feminism to that paragon of 1950s womanhood than Amy Schumer?
But on the internet, the news was met with a very different response.
Shall we just come out and address it? Yes, Amy Schumer does not have the same body type as Barbie.
But no human woman in the world does: Barbie’s body measurements are so off-kilter that, according to research by Rehabs.com, if a woman did have those measurements she’d not only have room for just half a liver and a few inches of intestine in her stomach, she’d have to walk on all fours to support her 16-inch waist (smaller than the dimensions of her head, and less than half the average waist measurements).
We all know that Barbie’s measurements are unrealistic. Even Mattel, the toy company that produces the iconic doll, know this. It’s why, in January, they released a new range of dolls with different skin tones, hair colours and curvier figures. Dubbed “Project Dawn”, the new range was developed to combat the 14% global drop in sales of Barbie dolls last year.
Since then, they’ve collaborated with plus-size supermodel Ashley Graham, and now cast Amy Schumer as the woman who will embody Barbie on screen. The film – which will reportedly have a female director – follows Barbie being thrown out of Barbieland for “not meeting the town’s standards”, Jezebel reports. After entering the real world, she becomes empowered and never wants to return to Barbieland again.
We’re here for Barbie’s newfound body positivity. Now, only one question left… Jezebel posed it first: who’s going to play Ken?
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