When Nickolay Lamm first created the Lammily Doll, or what he calls a "Normal Barbie," he didn't expect it to spark an online conversation about beauty standards, but he's thrilled with the results.
Eager to continue parodying traditional beauty standards, Lamm created this video encouraging young girls to "do you."
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The video shows a "Normal Barbie" who is an aspiring DJ, getting ready for a trip to Miami.
But after she sees ads and media with unrealistic beauty expectations, she starts to feel like she's not good enough.
But don't worry! Our hero eventually realizes she's just fine the way she is, and heads to Miami to party with her friends.
Unlike the previous images of women she saw, her friends all look different. Some of them have stretch marks, scars, pimples, beauty marks, and other "flaws."
Lamm said he wanted to create it as a funny parody, but also hope its sends a positive message to young people.
"There's so much information out there, it's easy to get caught up and try to be someone you're not," said Lamm. "The message of the video is to do you, to be yourself."
"I feel that in the doll world, the standards are funny. So, if we can laugh at the standards in the doll world, maybe it will be easier to laugh at them in the real world."
At first Lamm was worried the dolls wouldn't appeal to children, but he says he's gotten a mostly positive reaction from the kids. He even filmed a video of second graders reacting to the "imperfect" Lammily dolls.
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"If we all looked the same, it would be hard to tell people apart," says one boy.
When an adult points out that the doll has acne, one girl says, "But that doesn't mean you don't want to play with her." She says that her sister has acne, and she doesn't think it's embarrassing.
Speaking about why he made this video, Lamm said he wanted to show that kids could have fun "with reality" and not necessarily just fantasy themed toys.
The project is also a personal one for Lamm. "I remember trying to get a six pack and it was an obsession, or trying to follow standard career paths just because it was the popular thing to do," he said.
"It's such a noisy and chaotic world, but I noticed that people who follow their heart, break through walls. That's what I want Lammily to epitomize."