Nobody is “perfect” but yet we live in a world that we are constantly judged by our appearances. Men are always idolizing the “perfect woman” and yet women do the same. We are always criticizing our hair, clothes and bodies. We see girls on the television and in magazines and instantly feel self conscious. We watch things like the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show and suddenly go into a deep depression. We run to the gym in hopes of achieving their perfect bodies.

It was not always like this. In the 1950’s Marilyn Monroe was seen as the sexiest woman alive. She had an hourglass figure and wore a size ten. Men were fascinated by her and women wanted to look like her. Advertisements from 1930-1950 are completely opposite to the advertisements we see today. They actually promoted weight gain instead of weight loss. Sixty years ago the ideal woman had curves, unlike today’s society where the average model is about 5’10” and 115 pounds. Shortly before Marilyn Monroe passed away in 1962 the barbie doll was released in 1959.

“I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic.” These are the popular lyrics from the song Barbie Girl which reached worldwide charts in 1997. Barbie, with her signature blonde pony tail and her pink clothes, was idolized by little girls everywhere. In real life Barbie would be around 5’ 9” and weigh 110 pounds. She would have a 39 inch bust, an 18 inch waist and 33 inch hips. She would wear a size three shoe and have to walk on all fours based on her proportions. Every second three barbies are sold in the world. This is sending little girls an unrealistic idea of what they should look like.

Body image is the way that someone perceives their body and assumes that others perceive them. More than 40% of boys in middle school and high school regularly exercise with the goal of increasing muscle mass. 90% of all women want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance. Only 2% of women think they are beautiful.

This is causing girls to do just about anything to achieve the perfect look. Many girls that struggle with body image turn to eating disorders as a fast way to lose weight, without realizing the long term health affects it causes. There are many different types of eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. More than 50% of teenage girls and nearly 33% of teenage boys admit to using unhealthy methods to control their weight. There are also things like plastic surgery to alter your appearance. The obsession doesn’t just stop at body image. Barbie has an endless supply of clothing and accessories. Teenagers spend about 40% of their money on new clothes. 63% of girls would rather spend their money on a new pair of jeans then on concert tickets, and 80% of girls identify shopping as a hobby.

Barbie has a lot of negative affects but she is not all bad. Barbie has had over 80 careers. She has done everything from being a rock star to a paleontologist to a presidential candidate. This shows little girls that they have the right to dream and that they can do anything they want in the world.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been brainwashed with the idea that you’re only beautiful if you have flawless tan skin, blue eyes, blonde hair and a perfect body. What I’ve learned is that there are all different kinds of beautiful and it’s okay if you don’t look like the “perfect barbie”. Make up and photo shop can distort an image so much that the girl in the magazine doesn’t even look like the girl in the magazine. I think it’s time for society to stop obsessing over looks and realize that personality is much more important. After all, beauty is only skin deep.