--- title: Normal Barbie Ad Captures Insane Pressure to Have a Perfect Body description: Even dolls with cellulite can have a good time at the beach canonical: https://time.com/3697999/lammily-doll-normal-barbie-ad/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-05T17:52:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:36.799Z og:title: This 'Normal Barbie' Ad Captures Society's Insane Pressure to Have a Perfect Body og:description: Even dolls with cellulite can have a good time at the beach og:url: https://time.com/3697999/lammily-doll-normal-barbie-ad/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This 'Normal Barbie' Ad Captures Society's Insane Pressure to Have a Perfect Body twitter:description: Even dolls with cellulite can have a good time at the beach twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production video:duration: 05:45 video:published: 2014-11-18 section: style topics: fashion dolls, body image, realistic proportions, children's perceptions, doll comparison, toys, play, appearance, careers in play, gift preferences genre: documentary, vox pop tones: playful, curious, candid, observational emotions: curiosity (medium), delight (medium), amusement (low) sentiment: neutral audience: parents, educators, toy industry observers, general readers, children's media followers people: Susan Miller organizations: St. Edmund's Academy, TIME products: Lammily, Little Emily doll transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable --- # This 'Normal Barbie' Ad Captures Society's Insane Pressure to Have a Perfect Body > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=5608e88e-e8ea-4d12-ab10-5138c9a4c5d9&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Second Graders React to Lammily and Other Fashion Dolls [Watch (HLS stream): Second Graders React to Lammily and Other Fashion Dolls](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cWh4h3Zv.m3u8) (5:45)  _Published 2014-11-18. Second Graders React to Lammily and Other Fashion Dolls_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Children at St. Edmund's Academy in Pittsburgh are shown Lammily, a realistically proportioned fashion doll, alongside other fashion dolls and asked to compare them. Assistant Head of School Susan Miller leads the questions about how the children perceive the dolls' looks, hair, body shape, feet, and possible careers. The children describe Lammily as more human-looking, wider and less thin than the other dolls, and say she could do many activities and jobs. The video closes with the children choosing which doll they would want as a present. ## Key points - Children said Lammily looks more like a real live person and like a regular girl going to school. (01:21) - A child said Lammily's hair feels as soft as her own hair, and another said it was softer than expected. (01:01) - Children described Lammily as wider and less skinny than the other doll, calling her more humanlike. (03:45) - A child noted the other doll's feet look like they have invisible heels on, with toes stuck together, while Lammily has separate toes. (03:05) - Children suggested Lammily could take on a range of careers, including swimmer, teacher, pilot and cook. (02:15) - Children said Lammily looks like she would help somebody if they got hurt. (04:42) - Several children said Lammily looked like a family member or someone they knew, such as a sister or aunt. (00:40) - A child said Lammily's belly button looked realistic and that the doll could do gymnastics and run. (01:30) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:40] Setting up the doll comparison at school. Susan Miller introduces the test at St. Edmund's Academy and the first reactions to Lammily's appearance are recorded. - [00:40 to 01:39] Children react to looks, hair and realism. The children describe how Lammily looks, how her hair feels, and how realistic she seems compared with other dolls. - [01:39 to 02:25] Imagining activities and careers for the dolls. The children suggest activities the dolls could do and possible jobs for Lammily and the other doll. - [02:25 to 03:45] Comparing feet, body shape and suitability. The children discuss the dolls' feet and heels, which doll seems most like them, and how Lammily's body differs. - [03:45 to 04:42] Judging body shape, makeup and helpfulness. Children compare the dolls' body size, makeup and smiles, and say Lammily would help someone who was hurt. - [04:42 to 05:45] Choosing a doll to receive as a present. Asked which doll they would want as a gift, the children name the doll they already own, and one mentions playing with boy dolls. ## Key quotes - [01:21] child: "It looks more like a real live person." - [03:45] child: "She is wider. More humanlike and wider." - [00:40] child: "She looks like my sister." - [04:42] child: "She looks like she would help somebody if they get hurt." - [04:10] child: "She's not so skinny." ## Questions this video answers - How would children respond to a realistically proportioned fashion doll? [00:00] - What do children think the careers of the Lammily doll and the other doll would be? [02:15] - How do the dolls' feet and heels differ? [03:05] - Are the two dolls the same size and shape, and what is different? [03:31] - Which doll would the children want to receive as a present? [04:50] by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Mar 5, 2015 5:52 PM UTC by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Mar 5, 2015 5:52 PM UTC The [Lammily](https://lammily.com/) doll — [playfully dubbed the “Normal Barbie”](http://time.com/3593968/the-new-normal-barbie-comes-with-an-average-womans-proportions-and-cellulite-sticker-extension-packs/) — finally has an ad — and it’s absolutely incredible. “I created a video in which ‘Normal Barbie’ encounters unrealistic beauty expectations, just like in the real world,” creator Nickolay Lamm tells TIME. Specifically: Spring break in Miami. When the Lammily doll is invited on vacation with her friends, she is overcome with a wave of pop culture-fueled self consciousness. Is her normal body — which is modeled after an average 19-year-old woman’s measurements (based on CDC data) — “bikini ready?” “The video parodies twerking, Victoria’s Secret, American Apparel, Facebook and more,” Lamm says. In the end, however, “Normal Barbie” learns that even dolls with stretch marks ([available for purchase in a Lammily extension pack](http://time.com/3593968/the-new-normal-barbie-comes-with-an-average-womans-proportions-and-cellulite-sticker-extension-packs/)) can have fun at the beach. [There is a growing movement](http://time.com/3667580/mattel-barbie-earnings-plus-size-body-image/) toward a society that embraces healthier, more natural bodies. The Lammily doll is fighting that fight, one twerk at a time. _Read Next:_ [_Bye, Bye Barbie: 2015 Is the Year We Abandon Unrealistic Beauty Ideals_](http://time.com/3667580/mattel-barbie-earnings-plus-size-body-image/) ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] How would children respond to a realistically [00:04] proportioned fashion doll. To find out, I went to St. [00:08] Edmund's Academy, an independent school in [00:12] Pittsburgh. There Assistant Head of School, Susan [00:16] Miller, asked children a series of questions. To see [00:20] what they think of Lammily in comparison to other [00:24] dolls. She's so pretty. I like her. I like her. I like [00:32] her. I like her a lot. Hmm. I like [00:40] her. So cool, it's cool. She looks like my sister. She [00:44] looks like my sister. From the side [00:48] she really looks like her. She kinda looks like my aunt [00:52] Katie. She's not like other dolls. [00:58] She, like, isn't, like, very thin. I think she's really pretty. [01:01] The hair looks like real hair. It feels as soft as [01:06] mine. Feels soft. The hair [01:11] feels so soft. Her hair is softer than I thought. Her hair [01:11] is definitely like hair. She's not like other dolls [ MUSIC ] [01:12] That I play with. She's [01:16] really unique cause I don't have other dolls [01:21] like this. It looks [01:27] real. It looks more like a real live person. She's like a [01:30] real person. She looks more like a person. Her belly [01:31] button looks realistic. She looks like she's just [01:35] a regular girl going to school. [01:39] Any activities you think she [01:45] would do? About [01:52] every activity I do. I still in gymnastics and dance. I [01:55] make her run. I make her do gymnastics, too. Like a [01:58] gymnastics pose. Gymnastics. You can like, pretend [02:03] she's running. And she could [02:08] ride some of my toy horses, but this one can't really go [02:10] her so legs apart. What would you say [02:15] the career would be of the Lamalee doll? Swimmer. A [02:16] swimmer. Being a teacher. T shirt. T [02:21] shirt. Surfing. Like a computer job. A [02:25] pilot. What do you think the other doll would be? A [02:30] surfer. A fashion star. LIke a model. A makeup artist. [02:35] A swimming teacher. A cook. Looks like she would [02:40] do any job. Which one do you think most [02:45] seems like you? This one. This one. This one. This one. [02:47] This, this [02:56] one. Cuz if she was real she would be able to. Stand [03:00] more. What do the other one's feet look like? Like [03:05] she has heel, invisible heels on. These don't really [03:09] have like the kinda heel things. This [03:14] have their toes stuck together, and they have like. The [03:18] high heeled form of the tippy toe, these ones can like, [03:22] they have separate toes. The toes like, they're not like [03:26] a bunch of bumps. Cuz me, arms. [03:31] Are not that like, skinny, all the way. Are they the [03:41] same? Oh, what is different? She [03:45] is wider than this one. She is a [03:50] little bit wider. She is wider. More humanlike [03:54] and wider. It's a little bit. Bladder. Her belly's so in. [03:58] Like And this one is like nice and like the [04:06] perfect size. It's not thin like that. [04:10] She's not so skinny. This one's like all [04:15] fashiony and then like, and I think, then she thinks [04:18] they're bet, she. He's better than everyone else. [04:19] [ LAUGH ] I used to have, like, as [04:26] much makeup as she does. She doesn't have a lot of [04:30] makeup like most of my dolls. But she's smiling. She [04:34] has a smile on the, her face. [04:42] And. [ MUSIC ] She looks like she would help somebody [04:45] if they get hurt. If I were to [04:49] say to you, you're gonna get one of these dolls as a [04:50] present ., which one would you like to receive as a [04:50] present? I have many of these and [04:56] I would like this one. This one, cuz I already have [05:00] her. I already have this one. So, I would like get this [05:02] one. You wouldn't like- Little Emily doll. [ MUSIC ] This [05:03] one. [ MUSIC ] Little Emily doll. This [05:09] one. Probably [05:17] once the boy dolls get out, I'll probably play with them [05:19] a lot. 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