The creators of the Lammily doll published a blog post on Thursday responding to criticism of the "Lammily Marks" accessories.
The optional $6 package comes with adhesive stretch marks, cellulite, acne, moles, bruises, and other add-ons for what has been dubbed "normal Barbie."
The Lammily doll is shorter and thicker than Mattel's Barbie doll, and matches the proportions of the average American 19-year-old.
The doll has brown hair and wears minimal makeup, and comes with practical clothing: a blouse, denim shorts, and sneakers. Other items of clothing are sold separately.
While the Lammily doll has received praise for its innovative concept and promotion of the idea that "average is beautiful," some parents are less than thrilled about the Lammily Marks.
"Do five or six-year-old kids really want to put stretch marks or zits on their dolls?" InventorSpot blogger Amber Leventry asked. "My four-year-old daughter's body will eventually have imperfections and I hope she takes them in stride with the aches and pains of a changing body.
"Having confidence to get through puberty, some weight gain, or living with a scar is one thing, but to throw some cellulite on her doll and play house is another."
The company explained that Lammily Marks help children see beauty beyond physical imperfections, be they temporary or permanent.
"Some injuries and surgeries leave children with a scar that will be visible for the entirety of their lives," Lammily blogger Emily Lamm wrote.
"It's a source of self-consciousness and discomfort, something they feel has to be hidden away or concealed. Yet, there should be no pressure to hide! We are all different and wonderfully unique, and difference is something to be embraced wholeheartedly rather than shunned."
Children can add bandages or casts to the dolls to heal their scratches, stitches, and bruises, and can also give the dolls features that they have themselves, such as scars, freckles, or moles.
"Beauty doesn't have to be pleasing to the eyes, or a shining beacon of light," Lamm continued. "Beauty is simply reality. It is the fiber of humanity. The little striking details that make each of us complete."
The Lammily doll was created by Nickolay Lamm, who hopes to add diverse races, body types, and a male doll to his product line.
