Beginning in the year 2000, my decision to pursue a career in retail was undoubtedly influenced by my love for Barbie when I was a little girl. Hidden away in my room, styling my dolls in their miniature clothing, my time with Barbie is what shaped my passion for apparel product. Since the fashion doll's release by American toy company, Mattel, in 1959, Barbie has become a cultural icon. For over fifty years, girls around the world have played with Barbie, and despite much competition from MGM's Bratz dolls and others, Mattel's Barbie doll still remains the #1 selling toy doll in the world. With bleach blonde hair, blue eyes, and a skinny frame, Barbie is the perfect representation of the Western Caucasian ideal of beauty. However, new research has revealed the startling, ugly truth about Barbie. If the scale of the doll's body was converted to that of a real life woman's, the doll's proportions would not even allow the woman to walk. She would have a 16-inch waist with room for only half a liver, and legs that are 50% longer than her arms. Considering that the average woman has a 35-inch waist and legs that are only 20% longer than her arms, Barbie has been criticized for promoting an unattainable ideal of beauty. Studies have shown that this unattainable ideal can contribute to low levels of self-esteem in young girls, and fewer parents are giving the dolls to their children as a result.