I have been using a Stable Diffusion A.I. as a kind of sketchbook to plan out paintings. But there are some fairly severe limitations - at least when using the free version, as I have been. I thought I could demonstrate these limitations by creating a "Fashion Dolls of the Last 200 Years" scrapbook. Since Barbie wasn't invited until 1959, I prompted the A.I. to create an image of what a fashion doll might have looked like for each decade since 1820.
In the images below, you'll see some of the repeated problems that the A.I. had in creating images - the hands are TERRIBLE, and the dolls often have either no legs or else 3 legs! The faces mostly don't look like Fashion Dolls at all - and are sometimes kind of SCARY ...
Overall, I was impressed with the costumes, although I didn't check for historical accuracy! Most of them looked sewed by hand, in a very my-doll kind of way - and I was often amused by the rooms, which often include portraits or weird dolls in addition to some 'period' furniture. I scored each image out of 10 for how 'normal' it looked and for creative elements that I appreciated.
Here's the website for Stable Diffusion, in case you want to play with it yourself: https://stablediffusionweb.com/#demo
More info: stablediffusionweb.com
For each doll, I included a prompt like this: fashion doll dressed in 1820s clothing & 1820 hairstyle sitting in a dollhouse room. After that, I only changed the decade. I mostly like this one, aside from the 2-tone hair - I actually Like 2-tone hair, but don't think it was historically appropriate. 7/10
1830s - not too bad, aside from the hands. 8/10
1840s - hands wrong, scary face, and only one leg. 1/10
1840s - hair wrong, 3 legs?? (I liked the doll 'portrait' to her right, as well as the diorama behind her.) 6/10
1850s - not bad overall - the hairdo was fascinating, if not accurate. I find it interesting that this particular doll was made bustier than most. 9/10
1860s - not bad, overall. The face isn't very fashion doll-like, and the hands are weird, but overall, I give this one a thumbs-up. 9/10
1870s - interesting haircoloring! This costume is one of the ones that remind me of the costumes I used to sew by hand for my own fashion doll. 8/10
1880s - interesting hair, sort of a normal face - but a split skirt?? And, of course, lobster hands. 7/10
1880s - when you input your prompt, you get 4 images. I usually just download the best of them, but I downloaded this one because of the weird Mistakes! (See next image for her cleavage!!) I wonder why the A.I. put miniature dolls into most of the rooms - and what kind of creature is in this one?? 7/10
1880s - closeup of 'cleavage' and alien hands 0/10
1890s - pretty good overall. I'm not sure why all of these dolls have articulared arms and legs - Mattel first came out with these in 1999 and "Made to Move" Barbie was released in 2015 - so maybe there are more source images for the A.I. to use?? 8/10
1900 - otherwise known as Hooker Fashion Doll? I LOVE the haircolor - but suspect it wasn't that common in 1900 ... 6/10
1900s - this one seems more reasonable for the time - except for the short skirt! 8/10
1910 - you might have noticed that the fashion doll's EYES are WONKY in most of these images. 8/10
1910 - hairdo and dress type are wrong, but I'm fascinated by the cowboy behind her in the corner - and, actually, I find her face more likeable that a lot of fashion doll faces! 8/10
1910 - aside from the wonky eyes, I liked this image. 9/10
1920s - there is just SOOO much WRONG with this image! Scary murder-face, giraffe neck, hands for feet, and a Mini-Me doll with an oversized head. This is the stuff Nightmares are made of! (Just scroll past, please!) 0/10
1930s - wonky eyes & hands - but cute outfit. NO LEGS, though .... (I do love the little half-doll with the lavender hair on her side table ...) 5/10
1940 - What's with the eyeshadow/eyebrows?? And the small detail of 3 LEGS?? (It seems to me if I was programming an A.I. to make images of people, I would limit the number of human appendages to 2 Maximum ...) 3/10
1940 - I love the hair and outfit! Eyes are wonky, but I give this one 9/10.
1950s - suddenly, we're inspired by 1950s TV shows in black & white?? (Not to mention the fact that one of her arms ends in the chair and the other in the doorway...) 5/10
1950s - this one is kind of Adorable! I like the hair, outfit - and even the side-eye! But she has been given Karashian hips - Why?? 8/10
1960s - Barbie was invented in 1959, so from here on out, I expected that the images would be more realistic. I mean, if the A.I. images are amalgamated from a database of images, there were actual fashion dolls to use at this point. So while I give this one 10/10 for cuteness, makeup and hair - it doesn't really look like a Barbie, does it? 9/10
I960s - in the late 1960s, Mattel introduced the first black fashion doll. I would have wanted this doll - but why does she have a bird's nest her head?? 9/10
1960s - Too bad Mattel hasn't released an older, magnificent black fashion doll like this one! Love her hair! - and outfit, and makeup (aside from the wonky eye) 9/10
1970s - I mean, lots of people in the 70s were doing drugs, but the A.I. was TRIPPIN' when it made this fashion doll with extra arm parts and scary legs ... 3/10
1980s - overall, actually pretty good (giraffe neck aside). She looks a bit like Britney Spears. 9/10
1980 - Mattel released a hispanic fashion doll. The A.I. did a pretty good job on this image - aside from the TINY feet - and the miscegenation of a dollie-toy ... 8/10
1990 - Nice face and hair - but extra hands and no legs! 3/10
1990 - so I tried again. Good face and hair - but the camera angle looks like a paparazzi shot! And those Calves!!) 2/10
1990 - third try. At first, looks mostly normal, at least. Until your realize that her legs are the same length as a real human being (short), and they don't actually LINE UP with the rest of her body ... 4/10
2000 - I did notice that as the time I was inputting got closer to the present, the dolls looked more and more realistic. This one is actually one of the best! 9/10
2000 - I call her "New Age Dashion doll" - she could have her own YouTube channel to talk about chakras and crystal healing! 10/10
2010 - again, pretty good - if a bit buck-toothed ... 9/10
2020 - Yoga Fashion Doll (wonky eye and extra fingers aside) - I would join her for yoga, wouldn't you? 9/10
2020 - I updated the black fashion doll to see what the A.I. would do with the prompt. LOVE her hair, makeup and outfit! 10/10
2020 - known as Oriental fashion doll when she was released by Mattel in 1980. The A.I. messed this one up majorly! I even added "realistic hands and feet" to see if the wonky images were my fault for not asking for normal appendages! But NO! Spider hand, hair hanging in mid-air, and NO LEGS! Cute face, eyes, and hair, though 2/10
2020 - another prompt for an Asian fashion doll - and I get this cliche. Cute face, hair and outfit - but NO LEGS again! 2/10
2020 - I prompted "curvy fashion doll" - released in 2016, this doll was working against the complaints about fashion dolls setting unrealistic images for girls. I like the Adele hair on this one - but it loses points for the wasp-waist ... 7/10
2020 - I prompted "hijab" fashion doll - because Mattel released a Muslim fashion doll in 2018 - but got Error. So I tried "ethnic fashion doll" and got some like this one. Amazing hair, nice makeup an outfit. Excellent overall 9/1010
