And perhaps the most popular doll maker/string-puller is Ruth Handler - inventor of the Barbie, named after her daughter Barbara.

And apart from giving a lifetime of mommy issues to poor Barb, she also gave body-image issues to an entire generation of girls.

While getting "all dolled-up" may sound like a perfectly harmless phrase, you can cut your relatives some slack this time and blame your Barbie collection for the pressure it brings.

Let's Get Real: Barbie Girl may feel right at home, but imagine Barbie in real life.

She would be 5'9' with an 18-inch waist, weighing 50 kilos or less with F-cup breasts that her stick-thin legs would never be able to support.

Even Aunty Whisper would get upset with the lack of body fat and refuse to visit.

It's Not Child's Play

Despite the clear thumbs-down for this science-defying figure, it's what women have been aspiring to get for years!

Surveys show that girls exposed to Barbies feel inadequate... and are more prone to eating disorders, and low self-esteem.

So... I guess playtime really escalated.

Damage Control?

Now, the good news is that the doll population is sort of dying out.

And this could be partly blamed on the virtual upgrade of dress-up games.

I mean, why choose from only a handful of unrealistic options when you can choose from a million of them online.

But mostly, we're in the era of self-love, and Barbie's perfect bod is struggling to fit in - ironically.

In fact, in an effort to influence young girls in a positive manner, Mattel has been working on a top-secret exercise over the last few years called "Project Dawn."

It's finally dawned upon them that they need to launch a curvy Barbie.

This Women's Day, the toy giant launched a role model Barbie series, featuring 19 real women, to tackle its drop in sales.

Tea-time with your dolls can now feature brilliant ladies like artist Frida Kahlo, Chef Hélène Darroze, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, and pilot Amelia Earhart!

It's taken them over five long decades to realize that they have been setting unrealistic, incorrect, unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards for young girls.

But hey, one inch at a time, right?

Here's hoping for more healthy beauty standards to subscribe to!

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