Is Kate Gosselin the New Human Barbie?
Once again there are a slew of tabloid articles and blog discussions about Kate Gosselin’s changing appearance. Her hair, outfits and body have all come under scrutiny.
When Kate was a child it would have been difficult for anyone to anticipate what she'd look like today, except perhaps in her own childhood dreams. Perhaps she imagined, as many girls have over the past six decades, that when she grew up she would be as beautiful and perfect as our fictional cultural ideal, Barbie.
It wasn't that long ago that Kate looked like an average Berks Countian. She was not beautiful, nor was there anything offensive about her appearance.
How much have Kate’s hopes of continuing as an entertainer since the cancellation of Kate Plus Eight contributed to her progressively altered appearance? Perhaps Kate has given into the pressure many female entertainers feel to keep up with Hollywood standards, perhaps she has relished the attention becoming “prettier” has garnered her, perhaps being “beautiful” feeds into her sense of entitlement about deserving all the best life has to offer simply because she is who she is, or perhaps it’s a combination of all of the above. In any case, throughout all the speculation about boob jobs, weight loss, tummy tucks, botched botox, chin implants and facelifts, Kate has looked less and less like her natural self. 
More importantly, in relation to her parenting, Kate has looked progressively less like her children. What is it like for ethnic-appearing children to witness their Caucasian mother gradually reject what little ethnicity she had? And how will Kate's role-modeling impact her daughters? The twins are now eleven, an age when many girls are starting to develop. Will Kate begin to dress and make up her daughters this way as they enter adolescence? Or will she be surprised ~ or dismayed ~ or proud ~ when they hit their adolescent years and they want to start looking like her?
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