Is SL (and similar avatar populated worlds) the new Barbie?

For years, Barbie has been given credit for contributing to our society's unhealthy body image, both Barbie and Ken. You know the image, women are rails with out-of-proportion breasts and men have 30" waists with six-pack abs, broad shoulders, and buff arms. As soon as I logged into SL for the first time, I began wondering about the implications of avatars, in any kind of online world, on the perpetuation of the unhealthy body image that pervades our society. You might think, "C'mon, most people don't feel those proportions are the ideal body type." Having been around 13-15 year-olds for the last 15 years, I can say, for that impressionable age range, it definitely is. I have 13-year-old girls who are 5'5" and 125 pounds who think they are grossly overweight. I have 12-year-old boys who are lifting weights before puberty hits to try to bulk up (this can be very dangerous to their muscles, by the way). If you don't believe me, check out some of the articles below. Here are some of the highlights:

• 1 out of every 4 college women have used unhealthy methods to lose weight.
• Most runway models are 14-19 years old, 5'10"-5'11", 120-125 pounds, size 2.
• Teenage girls view themselves as an average of 11 pounds over their ideal weight when, in actuality, they are only 3 pounds over their ideal weight.

SL perpetuates this unhealthy body image to the nth degree. I immediately changed my avatar to have a more "normal" body and I've been asked several times by other avatars why I'm so plain. Don't get me wrong, I get that SL and WOW are fantasy worlds, and you should be able to look however you want. But much of fantasy, especially teenage fantasy, often manifests itself as what they wish they really were. I am disappointed with how far avatar worlds promote our society's obsession with thinness and/or buffness.

Beauty and Body Image in the Media
Teens' Distorted Body Image May Lead to Unhealthy Behaviors
Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image?