Emme Doll Aims for Healthy Body Image

Feb. 19, 2002 -- Watch out, Barbie: there's a new doll in town, with proportions that women with curvaceous hips and thighs can relate to.

A new doll called Emme was one of the hottest products launched at the American International Toy Fair last week. The full-figured doll, decked out in a black cocktail dress and platform sandals, was inspired by real-life model Emme, the world's leading plus-size model. Emme has twice been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" people.

"We do have curves on the doll, hips and broad shoulders," Emme said on Good Morning America. The model said it's a great idea for parents to provide their kids with dolls that represent real people. "Give your children, if you can find them out there, dolls of all different hues, of color and different shapes and sizes," she said.

The new doll may help usher in a trend in the media of depicting more women and girls with normal, rather than super-skinny, body types. Revlon recently signed Emme, making her the first full-sized model ever given a cosmetic contract. Plus, teen magazine YM has stopped running dieting stories and is featuring plus-size models in an effort to change the way girls think about their bodies.

Created by the Tonner Doll Company, the Emme doll is a small-scale likeness of the model, who wears a size 16. Experts have said that the traditional Barbie doll would wear a size 2 if she were a real person.

The Emme doll currently costs between $100 and $150. The manufacturer is working on a more affordable, mass-market doll because it has received such a great response.

"I just thought it would drift in … we will release something down the road because it is a wonderful vehicle to be able to talk about diversity and healthy images to have," Emme said.