To begin, let’s revisit a bit of history. The first Barbie doll was released in 1959, marketed as the epitome of anatomical perfection. Unlike the traditional big-eyed celluloid dolls, Barbie’s adult face and feminine figure offered a fresh alternative, quickly captivating young girls. However, as time passed, concerns arose. Doctors warned of the doll’s unintended influence, as teenage girls began striving for its unattainable proportions. Barbie became linked to cases of anorexia, affecting hundreds, if not thousands, worldwide.
While browsing for fashion inspiration this season, I stumbled upon an article praising an Austrian Barbie-inspired figure as a style icon. Yet, finding accurate information about her proved challenging.
Meet Billie (or Anna, depending on the source), a 30-year-old Vienna resident who describes herself as a style icon and “Europe’s most beautiful artificial woman.” Born in 1994 into an ordinary family, Billie had a typical childhood, attending school and playing sports without any standout interests. During her teenage years, she embraced the emo subculture, dyeing her hair black, getting piercings, and later adding tattoos.
At 18, Billie grew disenchanted with the emo aesthetic, realizing it wasn’t garnering the attention she craved. This epiphany led her to transform her image, trading dark tones for the pastel hues of babydoll pink. Although her new look attracted more notice, Billie still felt inadequate. At 19, she underwent her first breast augmentation, beginning a journey of self-reinvention that would define her public persona.
Billie’s rise to fame was gradual. Initially, she earned money by sharing photos on various online platforms, receiving payments based on views. She even claims to have been among the early pioneers of OnlyFans, though this assertion remains unverified.
Over time, Billie caught the media’s attention, making appearances on television and talk shows where she shared stories about her life and transformation. Before her drastic changes, she was a naturally attractive young woman with striking eyes. However, Billie admitted she saw little beauty in her original appearance, opting instead for cosmetic surgery to fit societal trends and ideals.
Despite her fame, Billie has acknowledged her dependency on plastic surgeries and cosmetic injections. While she recognizes her addiction, she feels unable—and perhaps unwilling—to change course. Her story serves as a poignant reflection of the lengths some go to in pursuit of beauty and acceptance.
Science Shows That Women Sleep Better Next To Dogs Than Men
The importance of sleep for one’s health should go without saying. The ideal approach to obtain restful sleep is a topic of great interest to a large number of researchers. But forget about meditating before bed and drinking chamomile tea. It has been found that women sleep better when their dogs are nearby. That’s correct, a study by Canisius College in New York State revealed that dogs make more comfortable sleeping companions than either people or cats.
Christy Hoffman, Ph.D., an animal behaviorist and the study’s chief researcher, said, “We found that women commonly rate dogs as better bed partners than cats and human partners and report that their dogs enhance their sleep quality.”
According to Research, Women Sleep Better Next to Dogs
Hoffman arrived at these conclusions after surveying almost a thousand American women. According to the findings, 31% of the participants and 55% of the participants shared a bed with a cat or a dog. Moreover, 57% of these ladies slept in the same bed as a human companion, compared to the other 40%.[1]
Hoffman also found out why dogs appeared to be the most comfortable bedmates.The first explanation is that dogs’ sleeping habits more closely reflect human sleep patterns than those of cats.
Hoffman stated, “It is not surprising that dogs and cats have different sleep schedules because dogs’ major sleep periods tend to coincide more closely with humans’ than do cats’.”
Even though these similar sleeping habits might have advantages, additional research is necessary to be certain. However, Hoffman has some ideas about how this might function.
She said, “Dogs may be better at accommodating their human’s sleep schedule than human bed partners.” Human bed companions frequently go to sleep and wake up at significantly different times from one another. Sleep disruption is undoubtedly a result of schedule discrepancies between spouses. It’s possible that canine bed companions adjust to their owner’s schedule more easily than do human bed partners.
Dogs also need specific routines and obligations, like an early morning stroll. These kinds of regimens support their users in sticking to a schedule, which enhances the quality of their sleep.
Calm and Safety
Dogs also have a tendency to remain rigid during sleep. Anyone who has ever shared a bed with a fidgety partner understands how annoying they can be. Nonetheless, the study’s female participants stated that, in contrast to cats, who tended to come and go, their dogs spent the most of the night on the bed.
This implies that cats might be more prone than dogs to disturb sleep by getting in and out of bed at different times. Furthermore, Hoffman stated, “We discovered that dog owners tended to go to bed and wake up earlier than cat owners and also adhered to more regular bedtime and wake time schedules.”
The third and most crucial reason is that dogs provide their owners a sense of security.more so than in relationships with humans or even cats.
“Some dog owners may find solace in the knowledge that their pet will notify them in the event of an intruder or other emergency; also, a dog’s barking may dissuade a possible invader. Hoffman stated that whereas a dog may offer psychological consolation, a cat is less likely to assume this function.
The Ideal Sleep Partner
Dogs are the ideal sleeping companions, according to the study, although their advantages vary depending on the situation.A dog might, for instance, snore or overheat the bed. Furthermore, a lot of owners report that their cats aid in their ability to go asleep.
Remember that the study relied on the volunteers’ perceptions of the effects of their pets on the quantity and quality of their sleep. Therefore, further impartial study is required before it can be said with certainty that dogs make better sleeping companions. Nonetheless, Hoffman thinks that since pets are common in American homes, these research might be helpful.
“This line of research will be valuable to develop a clearer picture of the contexts under which co-sleeping with a pet may be detrimental to one’s sleep quality, and the contexts under which pets and their presence in their owner’s bed may positively impact sleep quality,” the spokesperson stated.
For example, studies have indicated that women sleep better on their alone than in the company of a human, but many people hold the opposite view. In the future, scientists may employ Fitbit-like gadgets to measure people’s sleep quality objectively under various sleeping scenarios.
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