A Woman and Her Doll- Ruth Handler

In 1959 the world of toys was changed forever by a woman down the stairs 12 inches tall, Barbie. Barbie was a pioneer in a time when child hisss with cubby, rosey cheeks dominated the market. She was the first mass marketed adult-like doll and one of the first toys to return a marketing strategy based on television advertising. Since Barbies debut at the new York Toy Fair, in her zebra bathing suit, she has unploughed pace with the times and sported many influential and influenced looks all oer the decades.It is now estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls induce been sold worldwide in over 150 countries (Wikipedia, Barbie). M. G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie The Unauthorized Biography of a alimentation Doll, called Barbie the most potent icon of American culture of the late twentieth century. Shes an archetypal female figure, shes something upon which little missys project their idealized selves. For most foil boomers, she has the self aforesaid(prenominal)(prenomina l) iconic resonance as any female saints, although without the same religious significance. Lord, Forever Barbie) Behind this icon of pop culture was a woman by the name of poignancy coach. pity and her husband, Isador Elliot Handler founded Mattel in 1942. But it wasnt until Ruths revelational busty figured, blue eyed, atomic number 78 blonde came on to the scene, that business really started booming.Handlers inspiration came from honoring her young daughter play. Barbra, whom Barbie was named after, showed little interest in playing with her minor dolls. Instead she preferred to dress up her adult-like cut out composing dolls. Every little girl needed a doll by means of which to project herself into her trance of the incoming, Handler said, in a 1977 interview with The New York Times. If she was going to do role playing of what she would be like when she was 16 or 17, it was a little stupid to play with a doll that had a flat chest. So I gave it beautiful breasts. Barbie has undergone a jam of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles, fundamental law and clothing. She has been a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the toy market.The hold Forever Barbie The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, discusses Barbie and her attire. Early outfits include Friday Night Date and Sorority Meeting. In years to follow, Barbie sported a Jacqueline Kennedy hairdoo and during the civil rights movement, Mattel constituted Barbies first black friend, Colored Francie. There have been many critics along the way, commenting on Barbies scientifically impossible body and questionable portrayal of science (Kershaw, The New York Times).But as I and many others see it, Barbie has enhanced girls self-image and encouraged them to reach for stars and expanded their sense of potential. Over the late(prenominal) 50 years, Barbie has had vast and numerous careers, from a surgeon to a gymnast to an astr onaut. Ruth Handler and Barbie gave little girls all over the world the inspiration to dream of what they could one day aspire to be. Not only did Handler create a revolutionary doll with breasts, she also invented the worlds very first prosthetic breast (Ladies Home Journal Books).In 1970, Ruth was diagnosed with breast genus Cancer and had to have a mastectomy. At the time women were using lumpy socks and rolled up pantyhose to try to help resemble what they had lost in the surgery. Ruth aphorism this as unacceptable according to Veronica Horwell of the Guardian. With the help of a crafter named Peyton Masses, Handler designed a line of realistic artificial breasts do from foam and silicon. She called her new product Nearly Me and formed the Ruthton Corporation to snitch it (Horwell, Ruth Handler). Handler was intent on demystifying what was a taboo shell in the 1970s.She became an outspoken advocate for early detection of breast cancer and offered her prosthetics as a way f or women to feel good about themselves again. Handlers Nearly Me was a great success and counting the agent first lady Betty Ford among her numerous customers, she sold the company in 1991. Handler has been quoted saying many many times that she did not call for a lot of money in it, but she rebuilt her self-esteem and hoped that she did the same for others. Ruth Handler has changed the lives of women young and old.She gave us all hope for the future through plastic and silicon. I think Ruth said it exceed in her autobiography, Dream Doll The Ruth Handler Story. She writes My whole philosophical system of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always delineated the face that women had choices. I think Ruth Handler and Barbie accomplished on the dot thatWorks Cited Barbie. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July 2004. Web. 27 November. 2010. Horwell, Veronica. Ruth Handler precedent of the D oll Whose Changing Style Defined Genera-tions of Young Women. The Guardian. 02 May 2002. Kershaw, Sarah. Ruth Handler, Whose Barbie Gave Dolls Curves. The New York Times. 29 April 2002. Ladies Home Journal Books. 100 Most classical Women of the 20th Century. Des Moines, Iowa Meredith Corporation, 1998. Lord, M. G. Forever Barbie The Unauthorized Biography of a sustenance Doll. New York William Morrow and Company, 1994. Ticona-Vergaray, Evelyn. Barbies 50 years of Beauty and Controversy. United Press global University. 08 November 2009. Web. 27 November 2010.