Barbie turns 49: Looking like Barbie a reality or hype?

Most of my peers seem to have clients whose feet are firmly on the ground. I, on the other hand, live in la la land... and there's a reason we have that nickname.

The next time you're in Beverly Hills, be sure to stop in at Neiman Marcus. Barbie is alive and well, and buying her Manolo Blahniks by the dozen! You'll see plenty of women with the same nose, the same lips, shiny smooth foreheads, they're all a size 2 with a 36 inch bust, and they have glowing tans. If that isn't Barbie, then I don't know what is.

I think for the woman who strives to be the ultimate trophy wife, Barbie is their ideal. Think about what life was like in 1959 when Barbie was born. She was the perfect wife, built to serve the atomic family, living the idyllic life, with no room for imperfection. While she has evolved, she's still ingrained in the American psyche as the ideal woman. And for those women who feel they have nothing more to offer than their looks, they'll stop at nothing to achieve perfection.

Sadly, I've seen these miserable women spend their days shopping, trying to achieve some sort of fulfillment... a full closet, does not a full heart make. An artist friend of mine who specializes in painting Barbie, Judy Ragagli, told me that when Paris Hilton was buying one of her paintings, she said to the sales clerk, "She looks just like me." I swear this is a true story. Therefore, some women do have her as their ideal, whether conscious or unconscious.

It seems that many people in our society have an obsession with youth for beautiful appearance. The toy Barbie doll is one example of this. She has been an icon for the last four decades because she stays "perfect".

Do you think that Barbie has, in some way, led to unrealistic expectations in patients ?
We often have patients requesting impossible dimensions and difficult to maintain youthful appearances. The motto of my cosmectic dermatology practice is "Looking Good and Feeling Great!" So what is realistic in achieving and keeping this goal?

I really applaud the mindset behind the campaign of Dove products that focuses on real women, real shape, real life. This idea should be our focus. In my practice, I advise my patients to have two goals when it comes to outcomes for any type of cosmetic dermatology procedure.

1. I want the patient's friends and family to have a pleasant reaction. They will notice that "something looks better." However, the change should be subtle enough that most of them will be unaware of exactly what was done.
2. The patient should look and feel better and be more confident about their appearance.

I do not endeavor to make a patient look unrealistically younger than their age. But I would like to have my patients feel fantastic for their age. In the practice of cosmetic medicine, if the procedures are pushed too far, appearance can end up looking odd and strange. We have all seen pictures of some people, many of them stars or celebrities, that are examples of this. By trying to look younger than their chronological age, they do not look normal. They may even look weird.

So, in conclusion, when it comes to the unattainable images that are portrayed in the magazines with airbrushed photos, and in the movies using special make-up, camera angles and computer generated techniques... let us stop and ask "What is real?" Let's be proud to look good, and be real,... and feel great.

Fortunately, the vast majority of my patients are not requesting impossible dimensions or hard-to-maintain youthful appearances. Most of us in the cosmetic industry occasionally see a patient with BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) or those with unrealistic expectations, and hopefully we have the common sense to refuse treatment.

Thankfully, most patients (at least here in Seattle) are well educated, realistic with their expectations, and want to maintain a natural look.

Imagine a world without Barbie. What would happen? Simply put, children would find other toys to play with. These children would develop their definition of beauty from another source, and this definition would likely be modified in adulthood.

What defines beauty for an individual could be a doll of similar unrealistic dimensions, a more realistic figure, or even a less realistic one. Has Barbie led some patients to have unrealistic expectations? Possibly. I must admit no patient of mine has ever specifically come in to get the “Barbie Value Pack #1,” or requested to “look a little more like Barbie.” We normally develop our perceptions of beauty from more than one source, and the definition of beauty is different for everyone.

As a Cosmetic Medicine specialist, my job is to listen to what the patient wants to achieve. I can then offer treatment to get the patient his/her desired result. Sometimes surgical intervention is necessary, and I refer to a plastic surgeon. Sometimes no intervention can bring about the desired, yet near impossible, results.

Sometimes Barbie may be to blame. Most of the time, it’s another factor. When a patient wishes to improve their external appearance, they should consult an experienced Medical Doctor who can provide healthy and realistic expectations for Cosmetic procedures.

Happy Birthday, Barbie!

Honestly, I do not think that Barbie, the doll, has led patients to requesting hard-to-maintain appearances. There are many reasons why we strive to maintain youthful appearances: media pressure (digitally enhanced photos in magazines and use of very young models), competition in the job market, the importance of appearances in the entertainment industry (especially in Los Angeles and New York), longer lifespans, positive reinforcement from peers, having children at a later age, etc., but Barbie isn't one of them.

Barbie is a doll that little girls (and some boys) like to play with. She comes in different skin shades and has different careers. That seems to me to be a positive influence. I don't think it would be fun for young girls to play with old, realistic looking dolls. What do you think?

Barbie has been around for a very long time, and only recently has the desire for facial rejuvenation become main-stream. Patients now are smarter and understand that the best results are more natural and soft because of less invasive procedures and the fact that patients are PREVENTING the signs of aging by beginning procedures sooner.

Truly with aging, an ounce of prevention is worth the pound of cure. Women today really understand that looking younger is not a procedure, but a process that includes good nutrition, sun protection, and a myriad of non-invasive procedures.

Fantasy play is considered healthy by most experts, and Barbie represents several aspects of fantasy:  she has no problems except what to wear next.  Impossibly,  she is eternally pretty, drives cute cars, has a dream house, and apparently she has no health problems! Dolls date to prehistory, and historically are beautiful, stylized, idealized and Barbie is no exception to this age old formula. She is our modern day doll reflecting current fashion and fantasy ideals, but she does not dictate them.

When society changes its ideal of beauty (for women and men) then Barbie may well change. But until then, Barbie will continue to reflect  society's images of "beauty":  the unquenchable quest for the perfect body and eternal youth and beauty.

Anyone trying to play they are Barbie, rather than Barbie playing she is human, probably has a problem that I would refer to a specialist! In my extensive experience with clients seeking bodily self improvement, I have never encountered one who seeks to be doll-like, plastic, and unreal. Surely there are such consumers, but I believe they are few and far between!

Virginia T. Stevens, M.D.