Lammily

Lammily
TypeFashion doll
Inventor(s)Nickolay Lamm
CountryUnited States
Availability2014–Present
Official website

Lammily is an American fashion doll developed by Nickolay Lamm in 2014.[1] The doll was conceived as an "average" alternative to Mattel's Barbie line, which has received controversy over its body image and proportions.[2][3] Lamm created the toy using proportions of the average 19-year-old woman as indicated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (Petri). The name "Lammily" was formed by combining his last name and "family".[4]

Development

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Lamm took inspiration for the doll from his high school experiences, when he felt self-conscious and had low self-esteem over his appearance.[5] The idea for the doll line started from a series of concept renders using Autodesk 3ds Max and Adobe Photoshop, comparing a Barbie doll to body proportions of a 19-year-old woman based on data from Centers for Disease Control.[6][7] The new doll's wrists, feet, hands, and knees were also designed to move and bend.[8] Development of the doll was crowd sourced via Tilt.com, and in less than a day raised more than its $95,000 goal.[9] The funding campaign eventually raised $501,000 - more than five times the initial goal.[10] Lamm's philosophy for the dolls is that "Lammily represents the idea of being true to yourself in a world that too often convinces us to pursue an unattainable fantasy" and asks future supporters to join him "in promoting the beauty of reality".[11]

A boy Lammily doll was crowdfunded in 2016, and a Lammily wheelchair is now in development after a successful kickstarter campaign.[12]

Marketing

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The first edition Lammily doll was marketed as "fit and strong" and has brown hair and little makeup.[2][13] The Independent described her outfits as "toned-down", compared to Barbie's.[13] The doll is articulated with jointed wrists, elbows, knees and ankles, enabling it to wear sneakers as well as high heel shoes.[2][13]

Backers of the crowdfunded campaign were given the opportunity to pre-order the doll prior to general release. The doll officially launched at the end of November 2014. Three Lammily dolls are now available: a white female doll, a black female doll, and a white male doll. The 'boy Lammily' doll was released in 2016 and said to be the first male fashion doll with realistic body proportions. There are additional outfits available for both the boy and girl Lammily dolls, many of which reflect careers, such as chef or firefighter.

Unusually for a fashion doll, there is a 'Lammily Marks' pack available, featuring re-usable stickers showing marks including freckles, cellulite, grass stains, and wounds. There is also a Lammily Period Pack which includes a pair of pants and many colourful sanitary towels for the doll, accompanied by a book explaining menstruation to children.[12]

The Lammily doll was featured in an online advertising campaign called #DoYou, which shows Lammily excited to go on a vacation to Miami before being beset by beauty standards.[14]

Reception

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The doll has received praise in various media arenas penning her as a healthier and normal role model for the youth of which sets more realistic beauty standards.[6][9] Demi Lovato described the doll as "awesome" on Twitter.[5] The doll however has also received some criticism. In promoting the ideal that everyone is beautiful, Lionel Shriver described it as "wishful claptrap" and did not think children would be attracted to the product.[15] There were also concerns that the promotion of an "average" ideal may dampen aspirations for young people.[16]

The project and its agenda were satirized in popular comedy media outlet The Onion's March 6, 2014 issue with respondents on American Voices stating when asked what they think of Lamm's idea: "I don't care what the new standard of beauty is as long as girls feel pressured to meet it," and "Maybe if you base your life around a doll you deserve what you get."[17]

It has been argued that Barbie dolls reflect highly sexualized image and circumscribe girl's play by emphasizing prescribed roles and patterns of interaction. It is feared that by dramaticizing stereotypical feminine roles during play, girls will internalize and later embody such roles. This is one of the reasons Lammily was received as so refreshing.[18]

On November 19 of 2014 a video showing the reaction of second graders from St. Edmund's Academy in Pittsburgh, PA to the new Lammily doll was published on YouTube by the doll's creator. As of 7 March 2017 the video has attracted over 4.8 million views.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wagstaff, Keith. "Meet Lammily, the Crowd-Funded 'Realistic' Alternative to Barbie - NBC News". NBCNews.com. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Stampler, Laura (March 5, 2014). "Lammily: New Barbie with Average Body by Nickolay Lamm". Time. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  3. ^ Murray, Rheana (March 6, 2014). "After 'Real Barbie' project, doll line with 'average is beautiful' motto to be produced - NY Daily News". Daily News. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Preston-Sidler, Leandra A. Watch Me Disappear: Gendered Bodies, Pro-anorexia, and Self-injury in Virtual Communities. Diss. University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Carter, Chelsea J. (November 20, 2014). "Move over, Barbie! Make room for 'average' Lammily doll". CNN. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Stump, Scott (July 3, 2013). "'Normal' Barbie uses real women's measurements - TODAY.com". Today. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  7. ^ Bahadur, Nina. "'Normal' Barbie By Nickolay Lamm Shows Us What Mattel Dolls Might Look Like If Based On Actual Women (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  8. ^ Kendra Hildebrand (April 16, 2014). "Lammily takes on Barbie". The Archway. Vol. 81, no. 19. p. 9. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Lee, Jolie (March 7, 2014). "Watch out Barbie: Average body Lammily doll is coming". USA Today. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  10. ^ Stampler, Laura (November 19, 2014). "The New 'Normal Barbie' Comes With an Average Woman's Proportions — and Cellulite-Sticker Accessories". Time. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  11. ^ Lamm, Nickolay. “The Future of Lammily.” Lammily. Crowdtilt. 10 July 2014. Web. 14 August 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Lammily". Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c Gander, Kashmira (March 6, 2014). "Lammily: Barbie-like doll hits Kickstarter fundraising target in a day - News - The Independent". The Independent. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  14. ^ "Lammily, the 'Realistic' Fashion Doll, Star of New Commercial". ABCNews.com. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  15. ^ Shriver, Lionel (November 21, 2014). "Sorry Lammily, your dumpy looks won't fool many little girls". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  16. ^ Richards, Victoria (November 21, 2014). "Lammily the 'Normal Barbie' is a great start, but no gendered toy is without problems". The Independent. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  17. ^ "New 'Normal Barbie' Doll Has Proportions Of Average Woman". The Onion. March 6, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  18. ^ Kuther, Tara L., and Erin McDonald. "Early Adolescents' Experiences With, And Views Of, Barbie."Adolescence 39.153 (2004): 39-51. Child Development & Adolescent Studies. Web. 25 February 2016.
  19. ^ Lamm, Nickolay. "Second Graders React to Lammily and Other Fashion Dolls". youtube.com. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
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