Wanted: Kinder, Gentler Killing Machines

Just as the too-skinny-yet-way-busty Barbie doll is an “unrealistic body image” for young girls, “action figure” toys may be too masculine for small boys, says psychiatrist Dr. Harrison Pope of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. If expanded to life size, for instance, the G.I. Joe Extreme doll would have 26-inch biceps, Pope says, while the original 1960s version was more normal-sized. Pope thinks the trend toward more-muscular action figures may be because of “the emergence of women” in traditional male roles. “Women can now fly F-16s and join what were male organizations,” he said. “Men’s bodies, particularly their muscles, are the only thing that can’t be taken away from them by the courts and other organizations.” (AP) ...That doesn’t mean they’re not willing to try.