A Doll to Combat Unrealistic Male Body Image

Women aren’t the only ones who are negatively affected by the unrealistic bodies they see in popular media. While eating disorders and body image issues are often categorized as a problem for women, they also affect men. By one estimate, 10 million American men will struggle with an eating disorder in their lifetime. Even more lust after a virtually unattainable body, one that’s lean and muscle-bound. A quarter of men with normal body weights think they’re underweight.

As a way to spotlight male body image issues, Nickolay Lamm—the creator of a doll with the proportions of the average 19-year-old woman (one who even gets periods!)—has launched a male version.

Boy Lammily, named after designer Lamm, is built according to the proportions of the average 19-year-old man, using data provided by a University of Michigan anthropometry researcher.

Image Credit: CourtesyNickolay Lamm

Lamm says his dolls are meant to show that real bodies are beautiful. After he launched the female Lammily in 2014, he started to get requests for a male version.

“I feel men also feel pressure in the form of not being tall, not having enough hair, not having enough muscle, etc,” he told mental_floss in an email. “I think those are things which few talk about because, as a guy, you're kind of expected not to worry too much about your appearance and because women face beauty standards on another level.”

Image Credit: Getty Images

The new doll doesn’t have a six pack or toned biceps, unlike Ken (who is an apt mirror of the male model holding him in the image above, from the 2011 International Toy Fair Nuremberg). Boy Lammily has a figure more akin to the “dadbod.”

You can get your own realistic dude doll via the Boy Lammily crowdfunding campaign. Early backers can snag one for $17.