“I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic.” Most people have heard this song talking about the famous Barbie doll. She made her debut on July 24, 1952, in a German tabloid. Her original name was Lilli, and she was created by cartoonist Reinhard Beuthien. She had a much less innocent look then the Barbie we know now. She wore tight clothing and wore a lot more makeup. The Lilli doll was originally meant for men. However, when Ruth Handle saw the doll, she thought it would be great for her daughter to have.

According to howstuffworks.com, since there were no dolls for girls to play with that weren’t baby dolls or paper dolls, she decided to use the Lilli doll. She named the Lilli doll after her daughter Barbara. “Through their play, Barbara imagined their lives as adults. They used the dolls to reflect the adult world around them. They would sit and carry on conversations, making the dolls real people” Handler said. With some modifications to the Lilli doll to make it more kid appropriate, Barbie was born.

Over the years, Barbie has become more ethnically diverse, and now, in 2016, her slim figure is just a thing of the past. Barbie can now look like the average person. She can be curvy, tall or petite. It is important for girls to see every type of body, instead of what some people only dream to look like. Barbie has been such an influence on girls’ lives that this change is a step in the right direction.

Ruth Gowitzke, staff writer

Senior Ruth Gowitzke is a staff writer for the 2015-2016 Colonel. She participates in Symphonic Band, Marching Band and Jazz Band. She will attend college next fall.