The beloved Barbie doll has, without question, become a token of adolescent childhood. Young girls find themselves spending hours playing with Barbie, going on all of the adventures Barbie participates in. While children are presented with the opportunity to explore their imaginations with this character, they are simultaneously exposed to body-image distortion, as they begin to admire a female with a tiny waist, big chest, and skinny legs. As a result of this, there has been a decline in sales and harsh criticism for instilling this idea of idolizing perfection of an unrealistic body.

For years, Barbie's looks have been the focus of consumers while they disregard the endless careers paths Barbie takes. Recently, a new ad campaign has been released in attempts to highlight the characteristics of Barbie that go beyond her looks. The primary focus of the commercial is the inspiration of the many career opportunities Barbie has. This puts an emphasis on the importance of character and work ethic rather than one's outward appearance. Viewers of this commercial can identify with this message, understanding that there are endless opportunities out there for them. This commercial triggers their imagination, igniting a spark to surpass the boundaries, think outside of the box, and never limit themselves of any dream they may have.

While this new approach to Barbie and the legacy she leads is impacting and refreshing, the focus of Barbie's superficial and materialistic appearance has existed for too long. The underlying issue comes from the unrealistic and inaccurate depiction of what beauty is that she creates. For years now, young girls have striven to obtain the unobtainable. The image they have created in their head of what they should look like strays them from the beauty that already exits.

Beautiful is not classified by the thigh gap between your legs, the tan skin, the pin straight hair, perfect teeth, or perfect bodies. Cliche or not, beauty is within the imperfection. It is found in the bags under your eyes from staying up late and pouring your heart out to someone. It is found in the scars that tell stories of your past. It is found in lines that time leaves behind on your face. Beauty is understanding that you are who you are and that is simply more than enough.

We were not made to look like dolls, and we create unbelievable high expectations that we sometimes cannot always meet. This new ad campaign for Barbie channels young girls dreams of leadership and high standards. This allows us to focus on the power behind who we are, pushing us, challenging us to go beyond our limits, and more importantly, to go beyond our looks.