Lammily, the ‘Normal’ Barbie Doll, Now Gets Her Period and Has Cool Maxi Pad Accessories

(Photo: Lammily.com)

Lammily, the fashion doll designed as a “normal” size counterpart to Barbie, has the measurements of an average 19-year-old American girl. Her body proportions are realistic, and now she’s even more lifelike, because she is getting her period.

According to Today, Lammily has added an array of maxi pads to her accessories, and they actually look a lot more fun than the last maxi pads I saw. Lammily’s are brightly colored and patterned with things like flowers and chevrons. Is that what a pad looks like now? I haven’t seen one since the 90s.

Lammily’s creator says the pads are designed to demystify menstruation, which is probably a good thing considering that it seems like girls are getting their periods a lot earlier now, and a lot of them might still be of an age to play with dolls when it happens.

“If a doll has pads, how can [menstruation] be taboo?” said Nickolay Lamm, the designer behind Lammily. “Periods are such an integral part of a woman’s life, just a healthy part of it. It shouldn’t have to be swept under the rug.”

The Lammily “Period Party” is an accessories set designed to fit any of the Lammily dolls. It comes with a pair of doll underpants, a calendar with stickers for marking days, 18 reusable “maxi pad” stickers, and a human-sized informational pamphlet that explains what a period is and how and why it happens.

Admittedly, it does sound kind of silly at first. I mean, it’s a package of doll-sized maxi pads, and the pamphlet has pictures of tampons with smiley faces. That’s pretty silly. But it’s also very useful as a way to use to teach girls about menstruation in a way that makes it seem just like a normal, everyday part of life, which is exactly what menstruation is.