Lammily: A welcome addition to our doll shelves?

This post is a bit different from the usual content of my blog, but the more I look at what other people are saying about this particular doll, the more I want to weigh in as well. 

Discussion of dolls (especially Barbie) and body image is nothing new. As long as there has been Barbie, there have been people who think she's too thin, and that she sets an unattainable standard for little girls that they then feel like they have to live up to. This criticism has also been leveled at Bratz, Monster High, and probably just about any other fashion doll line out there that is marketed towards young girls. There have been attempts made in the past to make larger bodied fashion dolls, and they've never really taken off for various reasons, but artist Nickolay Lamm is giving it another shot.

Meet Lammily, the doll who tells us that "average is beautiful."

(all images from Lammily's website)

You may remember a few months ago when this image started circulating around the internet. This was the first attempt Lamm made to create a doll with more "realistic" proportions than Barbie. Using measurements of an average 19 year old woman, Lamm created the 3-D model seen above. It received so much attention, that he's decided to try to market his idea as a competitor to Barbie and other fashion dolls, using a crowd-funding platform to reach his goal. He has already more than double the amount of money he asked for with 28 days left in the campaign, so I guess we're going to be seeing Lammily in the "flesh" soon enough.

For now, all we have are the 3-D renders available on the campaign page, and some vague details. Lammily is going to stand at 10.72" tall, which is just slightly shorter than the average fashion doll, and she's articulated at the wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. I like the idea of ankle articulation a lot, which will let her switch between heels and flat sneakers, and probably let her stand on her own a little easier than many fashion dolls.

But those are just the basics of this doll. Lammily is attempting to make a statement, and that statement is that "average is beautiful." 

While I appreciate the sentiment, I definitely have issues with it as well. Looking at these renders of Lammily, it is clear to me that she is an amalgam, meant to represent everyone and no one all at the same time. Certainly there's nothing wrong with telling children that average is beautiful, but shouldn't we also want to tell them that it's okay to stand out, and okay to be who you are, no matter how different that may be from Lammily? Lammily is meant to "support realistic beauty standards", and I have to take issue with that, just a bit. If we want to break down standards and keep girls from feeling like they have to aspire to look one specific way, why would we give them this doll and say "here, this is what you're supposed to look like!" Barbie has never told children that they're supposed to look like her, and I think the number of children who do feel like they need to look like Barbie is smaller than we might expect. In contrast, Lammily is straight-out telling children that she is a realistic beauty standard for them to aspire to, as opposed to promoting any trait other than the way she looks.

 Lammily's entire point (at this stage anyways) seems to be that her body is more realistic than Barbie's. On the campaign page, we're told that Lammily is healthy and fit and dresses simply. What we're not told is what she likes to do for fun, what her personality is like, what her favourite colour is, who her friends are. We know nothing about Lammily, and let me tell you, those are the kinds of things that matter to children when they play with toys, far more than the shape of the body. Barbie has had over 130 careers, and she has a life full of friends and family. What does Lammily have? A thicker waist and the ability to wear sneakers.

At this stage of development, it's okay for Lammily's background to be a skeleton, but if this doll is going to take off, she needs to be more than just a body. Barbie provides all kinds of things to strive for, from many great careers to a group of loyal friends and of course, a dream house. Lammily was created solely to be a different kind of body from Barbie, and as of this moment, that's all that she is. I don't think a girl with healthier body but no ambition is any better for little girls than a woman with a skinny body who has dreams and a full life. I might even argue that it's worse, putting all the focus on the body and none on the actual person. And for what it's worth, as an overweight woman who was an overweight girl who played with Barbie, Lammily's body represents me no more than Barbie's does, and seems just as unattainable to me with her flat stomach and thighs that don't touch.

 In a wonderful post on tumblr (that everyone should read!), margoslxix said:

"It is not body-positive. It is body-centric." I couldn't say it better myself!

Another thing I have to mention that may seem petty, is poor Lammily's wardrobe. Yes, they want to distance her from the hyperfashionable Barbie, but surely there is a whole world in between there and this green polo shirt get-up, or those white heels that look like they belong in another decade. To me, nothing makes it clearer that the designer of this doll knows very little about dolls in general or about what girls are looking for when they buy a doll. The clothes are just as important as the doll itself, and I can't imagine a girl seeing a doll wearing that outfit on the right in the store and being inspired to grab it and spend her allowance on it. If the doll is meant to represent the average tween or teen girl, some research needs to be done into what those girls actually wear, because for most of them, this isn't it. And hopefully, at Lammily's launch, or shortly thereafter, they'll also be selling outfits to buy separately, otherwise, we're going to have a problem. One of the most popular ways to play with dolls is to change their clothes and mix them up, and Lammily isn't going to be able to wear Barbie's clothes, or Monster High clothes, or probably the clothes of any other play doll on the market right now. This is going to greatly limit her options in terms of playability, and that's the kind of thing that gets a doll banished to the bottom of the toy box.

Of course, I fully support the idea of diversity in the doll world, but I think it needs to go beyond creating a doll that is "normal" or "average". We need dolls that are fully-realized characters with personalities and flaws, just like real people. I may be biased here, but I think that's what Monster High gives us. We have dolls that are shy and dolls that are loud, dolls that love sports and dolls that love fashion. We have dolls with sleek smooth hair and dolls with wild curls, dolls who loves school and dolls who maybe can't be bothered. If you extend the discussion to the webisodes, they're even got a character in a wheelchair who definitely deserves his own doll! That's the kind of diversity that we need in our toys, and it extends beyond merely their bodies. I'm not saying Monster High is perfect, because nothing is, but I'd rather tell my future daughter to "Be unique. Be yourself. Be a monster" than "Average is Beautiful" any day.

That said, I'm not ready to give up on Lammily! Based on these renders, I think her body sculpt is really cute and athletic, and with some better clothes, I imagine a lot of little girls who would love to have a doll like her. I think she just needs a marketing tweak and a bit of a personality overhaul. If they want Lammily to represent a healthy lifestyle, what about Lammily, the sporty girl? Think of all the cool accessories she could have to play all kinds of sports and games, and all the outfits they could give her. Soccer Lammily, Horseback Riding Lammily, Hiking Lammily...the options are endless!

I would also argue that the artist naming the doll after himself isn't exactly helping things, because Lammily is not a name that rolls off the tongue, and I do think he's patting himself on the back a little bit more than necessary. Lammily isn't exactly revolutionary just yet, with her premise of "not Barbie", and while it's nice to see someone doing something rather than just complaining about an issue, I don't think Lamm is quite the hero some people are making him out to be.

Overall I think Lammily is a great place to start, but a terrible place to finish. She certainly has a place on toy shelves, and I hope to see her there surrounded by tons of outfits and accessories. I'm even considering pre-ordering one through the campaign, because I really would love to see what kind of quality she'll be, and what her body is really going to look like. What do you think of Lammily? Is there room in your life for a doll like her?