Yes mama! Mum's response to daughter fat-shaming Barbie is perfect
Allison Kimmey is no stranger to fat-shaming. The body-positivity blogger and mum is open about her journey to self-love and smashing through the barriers of conceived beauty standards.
So when she found her 5-year-old daughter's Curvy Barbie in the bin, she opened up a conversation.
Cambelle has previously been the subject of Allison's blog posts, voicing questions about her mothers stretch marks and cellulite. Allison never refuses a chance to instil body positivity in her daughter.
Allison recalls the conversation she had with Cambelle after seeing the discarded doll.
"Okay. Can you tell me why you threw away one of your perfectly good toys?" Allison asked.
"Because I don't like her. " her daughter replied.
"What do you mean you don't like her?"
"Her arms aren't right. Her legs are too big. She doesn't look like my other barbies. And she doesn't fit into any of the clothes except this one outfit."
Her answer shocked Allison.
"I paused. I was speechless. I honestly felt some tears start welling in my eyes."
For Allison, Curvy Barbie is a representation of her own struggles with self-esteem.
"I related to this inanimate object. It was as if curvy Barbie's life was a reflection of the way I felt for SO long being a plus size woman in a thin woman's world.
"I always felt like my arms weren't right, my legs were big, and anywhere I went, nothing fit. For a very long time I allowed those perceptions and the constricts of society make me feel as if I was the trash.
"Much like myself, Curvy Barbie is still living in a thin Barbie world."
Instead of avoiding the issue, Allison asks Cambelle how she thinks her Barbie would feel about being put in the trash.
"I think she feels sad and crying," the girl replied
"Just because her body is different, does that mean that she is wrong?"
"No, mama. Because she has more fat. And it's okay to have fat."
Allison says that just because you look different, does not make you a lesser person.
"And just because the clothes don't fit her right, does that mean she shouldn't be able to play with the other barbies?"
"No mama. We have to be kind to everyone."
"Do you have friends that look different than you?"
"Yes, mama. Some have skinny legs and other girls like me have legs that touch."
"Okay, we'll leave that discussion for another time. Do you think that you could wash her off and find her something to wear?"
Cambelle rescued the doll from the bin and found her new clothes. For Allison, it hammered home the importance of teaching our daughters body-positivity from a young age.
"Each time I am put in a position where I can ignore these early signs for body image issues and pass them off as 'oh she's just a kid playing with her barbies, maybe she really just doesn't like this one, it doesn't REALLY matter' OR I can make a conscious effort to help her dissect how she's feeling, allow her to explain her discomfort, and give her a new loving perspective."
You go mama! In world where women are constantly pressured to look thin and flawless, it's so important to remind our daughters that they're beautiful no matter what.