Ruth Handler Research Paper

Katie Danelz
Ponder
Writing / Grammar - A
21 April 2017
The Story of Barbie and Ruth Almost every little girl wants a Barbie. She has the “perfect” body, with her hourglass shape and gorgeous hair. Ruth Handler is Barbie’s creator. Although Ruth is not the face of Barbie, she is the foundation of this doll that took the world by surprise. Ruth Handler was born in Denver, Colorado on November 4, 1916. Ruth later got married to Elliot Handler. Elliot was a chief toy designer for many years and had created many toys before Ruth came up with Barbie. Ruth and Elliot got married on June 26, 1938 at the posh Park Lane Hotel (Gerber 40). After their wedding, they moved from Denver, Colorado to Los Angeles, California (Gerber 41). Ruth’s early childhood was filled with hard times. Before she was even born, her father, Jacob, gambled and all of his losses brought their family down (Gerber 23). Ruth’s mother, Ida, had ten children with Ruth as her last (Stone 9). Right after Ruth was born, she was
She is still the beauty standard for many women. Many women try to use skin treatments, plastic surgery, and even rib removal to achieve Barbie’s perfect look (Pendergast 4). They spend thousands of dollars on clothes and makeup trying to achieve the look that Barbie has, but many people think that it is way over the top (Stone 60). Barbie has influenced many women, young and old, to achieve that look, but it still has a negative effect on many women. Ruth had a humble childhood. She grew up and married Elliot Handler. With his encouragement, she created Barbie. Even though many people said that it would never work, she still did it. Now Barbie is one of the most popular toys in the toy industry. Barbie has changed so many girls’ lives. She is sold in almost every toy store in America. Ruth died on April 27, 2002, but her legacy lives on through the little doll that nobody