Dolls and action figures

This article addresses the perfect body ideals embodied by dolls and action figures marketed at children and adolescents, and the effect these toys can have on body image. Dolls and action figures provide tangible images of the body that can be internalized as part of children’s and adolescents’ developing sense of identity and body image. The article presents a meta-theoretical framework of how toys can function as socialization agents, describes the ways in which sociocultural body ideals are represented in toys, and then reviews existing research on the impact of dolls and action figures on body dissatisfaction and body-related behaviors in children and adolescents.