I just read the article in Time Magazine about Mattel's new Barbies - all shapes including curvy, petite and tall plus dozens more skin and hair tones and facial characteristics. One of the most interesting parts of the article talked about a focus group of 6-8 year old girls. When observed playing together without adults in the room they called the curvy Barbie "fat". When the adults were present they used more politically correct terms, and one little girl actually spelled the word "f-a-t" instead of saying it. "I don't want to hurt her feelings," she says, a little desperately."

They're finding that the children, while becoming more politically correct, are not openly embracing the dolls that look more like them, and their Moms. Our conditioning is apparently still so strong that the ideal body, and the ideal Barbie, is tall, thin and blond.

Kudos to Mattel. It will be interesting to see how this works out.