Barbie's body is considered "perfect" by many, as woman strive to obtain one just like the plastic doll's. Mattel's vice president of design now speaks out about Barbie's controversial, unrealistic and unobtainable body proportions.

Kimberly Culmone, who has worked with the company since 2007, defends Barbie's body design, providing the reason behind its impossible measurements. "Barbie's body was never designed to be realistic," she says. "She was designed for girls to easily dress and undress."

She also claims that Barbie has had "many bodies over the years" in order to accommodate different outfits. "There are some that her legs don't even bend," Culmone explains. "There are some that her arms are straight. Primarily it's for function for the little girl, for real life fabrics to be able to be turned and sewn, and have the outfit still fall properly on her body."

Although new Barbie bodies are a "continual evolution" for Mattel, Culmone says that the design must stay consistent, due to the company's 55-year heritage. "Moms are handing clothes down to their daughters, and so keeping the integrity of that is really important," she says. "Everything may not always be able to fit every doll, but it's important to me that the majority of it does, because that was my experience as a little girl."

Kimberly Culmone adds that she does not think young girls compare their body to Barbie's. "Girls view the world completely differently than grown-ups do," she says. "They don't come at it with the same angles and baggage and all that stuff that we do. Clearly, the influences for girls on those types of issues, whether it's body image or anything else ... It's peers, moms, parents, it's their social circles."