Barbie doll was first introduced at the beginning of the 1960s. This slim-waisted, blue-eyed, blonde doll instantly became one of the most popular toys among children and had a tremendous cultural impact. Many girls grew up playing with it and Tonya was not an exception. As a child, she spends hours playing with the doll. Later, inspired by the modeling career and lavish lifestyle the “Teenage Fashion Model” Barbie has portrayed, 16-year-old Tonya decided to become a model herself. 

"I got my first Barbie on my third Birthday. My sister and I spent hours playing with Barbie dolls. Mine had blond hair, blue eyes, and long legs—like me. Our Barbies led very glamorous lives—they were always dressed like models. My mother spent hours sewing miniature versions of all the latest fashions—capes, skirts, vest, pantsuits, mini-skirts, bellbottoms and bridal gowns—all stored in our pink vinyl cases—along with hundreds of accessories, including Ken, the boyfriend.

On birthdays, Mother would bake me an angel food cake, stand Barbie in the center and use frosting to create her a prom-esque gown. I was the envy of the neighborhood girls.

I grew up in Barbie’s shapely shadow. I followed in her tiny footsteps and became a teenage fashion model," Tonya told Bored Panda.

However, as her successful career started to take a toll on her, Tonya has quit the fashion industry. This decision has led her to become aware of how harming the pursuit of a perfect body was and that it all started with a once-beloved Barbie doll. 

"After I got married and had children - I tried to figure out where I had gotten such a warped view of beauty and how I could teach my children differently. I wondered - did I get my body image issues from growing up with Barbie or from what I saw in magazines and on television?"

For years, Tonya has been campaigning against harmful body-image standards and used Barbie dolls as an example of what is expected of women in our society. “I believe these dolls set a standard for perfection that is unattainable for any human and gives your young daughters the wrong idea about beauty," she said. The woman was called "anti-barbie" by the media after she actively discouraged women from buying these dolls for their daughters. 

Eventually, as her life took a different course, she has forgotten all about Barbie, up until a few years ago. The memories were awakened when she accidentally found the dolls in her attic and allowed her granddaughters to play with them. Tonya was surprised to find out that over the years Barbie dolls have changed. Mattel, the creator of Barbie, has introduced new dolls with many different skin tones, hair colors, and body sizes, making them a lot more realistic. Now people can find barbie's that looks just like them. 

"I think that Mattel has done such a good job on their recent dolls. They are more realistic and most children can find a Barbie that represents them. They have more body types and skin tones," she told us.

Inspired by this change Tonya has decided to set up an Instagram account, called 'Grandma Gets Real' to portray these dolls doing realistic things. Her latest creation the quarantine Barbie dolls quickly went viral proving how much people love relatable Barbies. 

"I saw someone had posted a pandemic Barbie. I thought it would be funny to make a Quarantine Barbie with Toilet Paper, Snacks and Anti-bacterial wipes. She has Reese Witherspoon's book to read, a crossword puzzle and playing cards. I thought my Instagram friends would find it amusing," she said.