Plastic Makes Perfect Research Paper

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Plastic Makes Perfect (Or Does It?)
Barbara Millicent Roberts. At 57 years old, she is an iconic figure, a household name, and incredibly popular. She has obtained 130 careers, continues to earn more, and lives by many mottos like Be Who You Wanna Be and We girls can do anything. This impressive woman is just as impactful as she is stunning. She embodies the classic idea of beauty: tall, blue eyes, blonde hair, thin, long legs. This woman is more commonly known as Barbie. She was created by Ruth Handler during the 1960’s: a time when women were meant to be just housewives, staying at home and taking care of children, unable to achieve or attain anything. Barbie’s unrealistic proportions, in addition to her being considered a mascot for beauty,
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Even so, Barbie continues to be a representation of beauty and perfection. Additionally, Barbie’s target age group is three to eleven, and according to a study done by the company, Always, “More than half of girls (about 1 out of 2 or 56 percent) claimed to experience a drop in confidence at puberty” (Herzfeld) which can start as early as the age of 6. Clearly, the two age groups intersect, which makes it clear that Barbie can indeed play a factor in causing low-self esteem in girls with her perfect body being played with by girls during their most impactful and vulnerable time. Dr. Carole Lieberman, an expert on body image, wrote, "Barbie has been the #1 most destructive force on the self-image of women all over the globe!”" (qted in Stone 6). If a body image expert believes this, something is wrong with Barbie, and many people agree with Dr. Lieberman. The child development teacher at Staples High School, Linda McClary said in an interview, “I did play with Barbies. I do think it affected my self esteem. I have

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