One of my patients came in for her appointment this week, and she told me that she has been working on behalf of Mattel as Barbie, making appearances and going to events. Being Barbie is a fantastic opportunity, and we are all very proud of this patient.

When I think of Barbie, I see her as a cultural icon. Some people see the her as the perfect girl. Barbie has certainly taken a beating with feminists pounding out all of the reasons why Barbie reeks havoc on young women’s perceptions of body image. While that may or may not be true, many people, men and women alike, strive for perfection in one way or another, whether it is in their job, their marriage, their sport or hobby, or even their image.

Back in May, I wrote a post about how smiles can sometimes be so perfect that they can look fake. We’ve all seen these smiles. Smiles that are too white or too even. I always strive to create beautiful, balanced smiles that complement each patient because it is my personal belief that a natural-looking smile is more beautiful than a smile that looks too, well, plastic…or porcelain, as it were. At the end of the day, regardless of whether you look like Barbie or Ken, it’s your idiosyncrasies, imperfections, and the most natural aspects of who you are that actually make you perfect.