DO we need a 'Fat Barbie' to give kids more realistic expectations? That's what many people believe and an image of obese model of the doll has sparked heated debate.

This month the popular Facebook group Plus Size Modeling shared a post with the above image, along with the question: "Should toy companies start making plus-sized Barbie dolls? In all honesty, we want to know ..."

The post generated nearly 36,000 likes and over 1,600 shares - and a deluge of negative feedback from many who felt the plus-size Barbie was an inaccurate representation of larger women, the Daily Mail reports.

"Yeah lets promote poor health and eating habits. Just what America needs," wrote one user, Kyle Boise.

Other readers took aim at the doll's sizeable number of chins and others injected some necessary medical advice into the debate.

"I hope she comes with a blood pressure cuff to show young girls that how many chins she has is not what's important but the health issues that could come along with being this size," wrote Melissa Audet.

Several readers quibbled with whether the "fat" doll was an accurate depiction of a typical woman.

MaryBeth Gafford said: "The triple chin is too much. Most overweight people (me included) only have a double chin no matter what size they are. This Barbie is inaccurate."

Many users believed that that there should be a middle ground - that there should be a healthy-looking doll that is neither too far nor too thin.

"Why not have a realistically proportioned Barbie that promotes healthy diet and exercise?" said Michelle Ashford.

The image was produced by Worth1000.com rather than Mattel, the iconic doll's manufacturer. But perhaps this could be the next front in the 'campaign for real beauty', promoted by brands such as Dove.

According to The Huffington Post, an independent manufacturer has already produced a plus-size Barbie which matches Centre for Disease Control measurements of an "average" 19-year-old woman.

The result stood in marked contrast to what Barbies are currently made to look like.

"If we (criticise) skinny models, we should at least be open to the possibility that Barbie may negatively influence young girls as well," artist Nickolay Lamm of MyDeals.com said in an email to the Huffington Post.

The image of the plus-size Barbie produced by Worth1000.com