Barbie shapes up in body makeover

She’s had 180 careers — astronaut, teacher, architect and even US president — but take off the outfit and, for many, Barbie’s was still a body shape just did not work in the real world.

After years of criticism that the doll’s impossibly tiny waist, icy blue stare, and stick-thin limbs created a negative body image for girls, toy maker Mattel has bowed to public pressure — and plummeting sales — and diverted from the shape that has been sold more than 1bn times over the last 57 years.

The doll’s makeover is significant — Barbie will have three new body types — petite, tall, and curvy.