Greatness

           We live in a society that celebrates ideals and greatness. We passionately follow our favorite professional sports teams and athletes, spending long hours debating their exploits with our friends. In school, we study the works of the greatest minds history has seen, including Shakespeare’s literature and Newton’s theories in physics. We enjoy listening and watching the most dramatic musicians and actors. Although we realize that we can never achieve even an approximation of these people’s mastery in their respective fields, we do not feel down on ourselves.

So why is beauty any different? Why do people apparently have lower self-esteem if they are not as attractive as Barbie when they simply accept that they will not be a fraction of the player Lebron James is? The fact that Barbie is an idealistic representation of beauty is, in some ways, a good thing. It teaches us that although we must strive for excellence, there will always be someone better than us.

As a child, I never compared myself to my toys; I imagined myself as my action figures and stuffed animals. I imagined myself as having the strength of an elephant or the speed of a cheetah. I never compared myself to these animals and felt down that I could never achieve their skills. Similarly, I would infer that girls may have imagined themselves as Barbie rather than compared themselves to her. Mr. Ryan did not “design Barbie as a weapon”; he intended for Barbie to be an icon of beauty, encouraging children to imagine themselves as a larger than life person with greater independence and self-esteem.

In short, neither Barbie nor the idealistic beauty standards should be criticized; it is the mindsets of the people that must be changed. People must be more open to appreciating the greatness of others while priding themselves in the skills and talents they do possess.