The Early Years
'Barbie' was born Barbara Millicent Roberts on March 9th 1959 to parents George and Margaret Roberts. She grew up in a nice neighbourhood and spent most of her high school years enrolled in the local Willows High School. However, despite her parent's natural shyness (they have never been captured on camera) they agreed to let their daughter spend time away from home to attend the Manhattan International High School in New York City, and this undoubtedly gave Barbie a taste of a cosmopolitan lifestyle which changed her life forever. The school had a strong focus on academics, and Barbie's high intelligence was brought to the forefront during her time at this school. Being simultaneously brainy and beautiful would be an issue that Barbie would wrestle with for many years to come.

1960's
Able to juggle school and work, Barbie began her professional life early, adding the job of registered nurse to her already hectic modelling schedule. The early sixties also saw the start of her hot and cold musical career, with Barbie being cast in lead role as a ballerina as well as venturing on to the stage as a professional singer.

Barbie's diverse talents and strong work ethic earned her a large fortune in a short space of time, and in 1962 she invested in her first property. Affectionately dubbed her first 'dream house' by her friends, the home was modern and luxurious and quickly became the envy of girls across the US. It wasn't long before replicas of Barbie's 'Dream House' were springing up in suburban areas from coast to coast, and Barbie's influence on modern popular culture became clear.

Perhaps aware of her own responsibility it was in the early sixties that Barbie first became interested in politics, and her fashion sense emulated that of Jackie Kennedy. She also dedicated herself to pursuing careers in traditionally male-only environments, daring to go where no woman had gone before. This couldn't have been more literal than when she blazed a trail for women in the exclusive arena of space exploration.

In 1965 she was accepted by NASA to train as an astronaut, and after completing her training in record time she became the first American female in space. She would return to space several times over the next fifty years, and later go on to become an instructor for children at Space Camp.

Back on earth, however, her head was filled with stars of a very different sort.

Barbie loved to party (something that would plague her later in life) and began to find celebrity friends in the swinging sixties. "Barbie and I loved the music of the 60's." Says her cousin, Stacy. "We spent a lot of nights dancing to the Beatles, and I remember she got a lot of attention for the way that she did the Twist."

Her sixties spirit look with twisting waist, flexible legs and long blond hair certainly attracted the attention of one particular man.

Romance
In 1961, Barbie met Ken Carson on the set of a TV commercial. The handsome and charming Ken was an ideal match for Barbie. He was as driven and ambitious as her, and had many career plans to match her own. As she continued modelling and took on another career as an air hostess (first with American Airlines, and then with Pan Am), Ken focused on his sports, enjoying football, skiing and tennis. While some critics claimed that Ken was nothing more than a 'boy toy' and an 'accessory' for Barbie, with over four decades together, there is no doubt that the relationship works. As with any celebrity couple their busy lifestyles generated plenty of media attention, and rumours often arose of affairs between Barbie and Ken's friend Steve, as well as other men. Barbie strongly denied the allegations and the couple's commitment was clear in the many public appearances that they made together.

1970's
In 1971, swept up in the flower power movement, Barbie and Ken bought a 'Country Camper' van and moved West to California. The Malibu sunshine suited them both, and it wasn't long before they adopted the sun kissed look of La La land, with bronze skin and blond hair. Inspired by the female rights movement of the era, Barbie seemed to appear not only happier, but more confident. "She just looked amazing, and she seemed to be able to look people more directly in the eye." notes Barbie's cousin Francie. This new found self assurance came in handy for her new career move as a surgeon, and was just the right frame of mind to carry her to Olympic gold for her figure skating, gymnastic and skiing in 1975.

Barbie then took a break from other careers to manage her empire, often being snapped by the press during the day in corporate office clothes and carrying a briefcase. By night, however, it was a different story as disco fever threatened to consume her.

"I think she was just trying to escape all the stress," says her friend Midge. "She had been working so hard, and now here was a party atmosphere that she could really immerse herself in." The rumour mill started up again, with tabloids quick to point out her wide, bright eyes, pale skin and relentless energy. "I don't think there was anything sinister going on," defends Midge. "The whole thing of having an area in Time Square named after her was just a bit overwhelming. I mean it was hard for her to keep things 'real' in her life, you know?"

At the same time, trouble was brewing in the new Malibu Dream House. Ken had moved away from his clean-cut, boy next door look, and in the late seventies, he was reported to have moved to Hawaii.

1980's
Barbie's lifestyle of excess continued into the early 80's. Her image was one of a decadent, party girl and she enjoy an elevated celebrity status like never before. Although she became an elementary school teacher and took on another space mission, her ties to the party culture of the decade were emphasized when she posed for the infamous artist Andy Warhol in 1985.

In 1986 she started her own rock band, Barbie and the Rockers, but failed to make any chart success. The band starred in their own movie, but Barbie's acting talents were criticized and it would be fourteen years before she ventured into the world of Hollywood again.

Perhaps sobered by her dramatic failures, Barbie re-centered her energy on more intellectual goals, becoming a doctor in 1988. In 1989, craving structure and discipline, she enlisted in the US army. During the same year, she also became an ambassador for UNICEF, starting a long list of philanthropic campaigns where she would use her global influence to try to bring about change and awareness for causes close to her heart.

1990's
The 1990's saw Barbie return to a period of intense and positive productivity. Ken was back by her side, and although plagued by rumours concerning his sexuality (thanks to his new earring) the two seemed happier than ever.

After enjoying a stint with the Ice Capades in 1990, Barbie went on to be promoted to Captain in the Air Force before becoming a Summit Diplomat. Joining the Navy as a petty officer fuelled rumours of her increased interest in furthering her political career, and to many it seemed that her brief stints in the forces were nothing more than publicity stunts designed purely to boost her voting appeal.

Sure enough, in 1991 Barbie announced that she would be running for president as a non-partisan candidate. Her candidacy was not successful, possibly because many voters did not take her seriously after the publicity surrounding her record breaking hair length overshadowed her political campaign. Her image was also damaged when she was quoted as saying "Math class is tough." which drew scathing complaints from the American Association of University Women.

Despite now being almost 40 years old, Barbie still looked as beautiful as ever, but in the cynical era of the 1990's her good looks did her no favors, and the media storm surrounding her exceptional figure reached it's climax. Several experts and sources claimed that Barbie was a poor role model for young girls, as it was impossible for them to aspire to her looks. As the media hype grew over eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and links were made to negative female images of waif-like supermodels such as Kate Moss, Barbie's tiny proportions drew unwanted attention.

Early exposure to the glamorous world of high fashion may have been what drove Barbie to maintain her impressive figure, and she has certainly worked harder than the average woman to keep her waistline tiny. Over the years she has taken on several sports and gone through rigorous training in order to keep herself in shape, having been a professional ballerina, and Olympic figure skater, and attended the boot camps of all of the major forces in the US.

Nevertheless, in 1997, responding to intense pressure from the public and the media, Barbie made the bold decision to undergo plastic surgery, electing for a breast reduction and having fat injected into her waist in an effort to conform to a more 'normal' standard. In the same year, her image hit an all time low, with the humiliating release of Aqua's song 'Barbie Girl' which portrayed her as a shallow party girl with dubious moral standards. Her efforts at suing the group for slander and defamation of her character failed, and Barbie had no choice but to move on and try her best to live down the stigma.

In true, resilient, Barbie spirit, she got her career back on track in 1998 by becoming a NASCAR driver, and joining the WNBA. Desperate to pull away from the 'dizzy blond' image, she returned to a career in commercial airlines, only this time as a pilot, rather than an air hostess.

Now fiercely protective of her image, there was another court case in 1999, as Barbie attempted to sue artist Tom Forsythe for featuring photographs of her in a blender for his latest collection. The court case was again unsuccessful. "She was very hurt and confused as to why someone she had never met would want to put her in a blender." Says her best friend Midge. "She was understandably disappointed to have lost the case, but I think it was more important to her to show the world that she was willing to defend herself."

1999 also saw Barbie take a tentative step back on to the silver screen, in a cameo appearance in the hit film Toy Story 2.

2000 - present
A new millennium saw a new Barbie, with a fresh focus on politics and philanthropy. She was elected as the first female President in 2000, despite a slander campaign based on false claims that she had been responsible for leaking toxic chemicals into the public.

Still somehow managing to balance multiple jobs (teacher, paratrooper, and doctor) with her creative pursuits, (figure skater, artist and dancer) Barbie also found time to re-launch her career as an actress, starring in a series of movies and turning her hand to producing in 2003.

Her extreme professional and political success appeared to be too much of a strain on her personal life, and in 2004 Barbie and Ken announced their break up. Ken had been haunted by rumours of sexual ambiguity since his drastic image change in the early nineties, and his leading role in the ballet, The Nutcracker Suite, only added fuel to the fire. Sources close to the couple stuck firmly to the line that they wanted to spend some time apart to focus on their individual pursuits, and sure enough, in 2006 following Barbie's win as American Idol and second term as US President, the couple declared that they were back together and happier than ever.

The last few years have seen a more down to earth, approachable Barbie, and although there are no signs of her and Ken starting a family, her recent careers have been centered around children, teaching, coaching swimming and soccer and working as a counsellor at Space Camp.

Barbie has undergone more physical changes, with a more athletic body. She seems comfortable with her new look, and has been seen showing off her belly button in low rise, hipster jeans.

Always up to date with current social issues, she recently created a new line of 'eco friendly' Barbie accessories, and is said to be considering converting her Jeep to run on bio fuels or electricity.

Conclusion
Over the past fifty years there have been few women who have achieved what Barbie has. There may never be another woman who was beautiful enough to be an international fashion icon and model, while simultaneously having the intelligence and dedicated to have a successful career in NASA, all three US armed forces, have her own medical and dental practice and become President of the United States.

Despite controversy over the negative influence of her exceptionally beautiful image on young girls, Barbie has always been a pioneering feminist, and her career choices have reflected this. She has also worked hard to ensure that her new movies center around wholesome story lines. Add to all of that her work as an ambassador for noble causes such as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Heart Association, (not to mention her desire to help people through her political work) and she can easily be seen as one of the most inspirational ladies to have emerged from the last century.