Tuesday, March 09, 1999
Big 4-0 no sweat for Barbie
BY REON CARTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Barbie turns 40 today. It's no secret she's battling aging. She's had enough tweaking to keep an army of plastic surgeons in Rolexes and Range Rovers.
Not just a nip here and tuck there, but at least 500 appearance changes in her four decades.
For Barbie, there was no sneaking off to a clandestine vacation spot to return looking “rested.” Her alterations, which have included reshaped eyes, a resculpted jawline and poutier lips, were trumpeted.
Barbie flaunts her vanity like a badge of honor. Even if she didn't have help, there's a chance her beauty still would rival 40-and-older blond bombshells such as Christie Brinkley, Michelle Pfeiffer and Sharon Stone.
“How a person ages depends on a variety of factors,” says Dr. Christine Horner-Taylor, an Edgewood plastic and reconstructive surgeon. “Some of it's genetic. We don't all age the same. How you live and take care of yourself factors into it.”
While we know Barbie doesn't drink alcohol or smoke, she was a notorious sun worshiper in the '70s. Malibu Barbie came with sunglasses and a bathing suit but no sunscreen.
“This means she would probably have crow's feet around the eyes,” says Dr. Horner-Taylor, “and perhaps some irregular coloring or blotchiness to her skin.”
Other signs of aging might include loosening of the skin in the upper eyelid area and a few extra lines around the mouth.
What about that infamous physique, which roughly translates to 36-16-35 in human dimensions?
She'd probably have sagging breasts and a paunch in the lower abdomen had she married Ken and produced little Barbinos.
Big 4-0 no sweat for Barbie
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