MANY young girls around the world dream of growing up to be just like Barbie, the glamorous doll with perfect proportions.
For Briton Sarah Burge, that dream has become her life's quest.
The 46-year-old beautician has had over 180,000 ($540,000) worth of cosmetic surgery to date in a bid to achieve a body like Barbie's.
And unlike celebrities who prefer to keep their cosmetic enhancements quiet, Ms Burge has no qualms about telling the world about each of her 26 procedures.
So far, she has had her cheekbones enhanced, her nose made smaller, her chin reshaped, and her breasts and buttocks lifted. (See picture right.)
All this has earned her the nickname 'The Human Barbie', a title she wears proudly on her website,
www.reallifebarbie.com.
And she told The New Paper that she has no plans to stop going under the knife.
'I'm a perfectionist and there's always something which I think I can improve on,' she said.
The mother of three from Cambridgeshire said she got started on the road to cosmetic surgery not because of vanity but for medical reasons.
She had to have work done on her face while in her mid-20s after her partner at the time beat her up during an argument.
A punch to the face left her with a broken nose, and she had to have emergency reconstructive surgery to repair the damage.
But the surgery left Ms Burge with a nose that she felt looked 'ugly', even though others around her saw nothing wrong with it. And she stopped going out because of how ugly she felt.
When she finally got her nose redone two years later, she began wondering what else she could have improved.
Ms Burge, who was studying to be a beautician, went on to correct a heavy jawline with liposuction.
Because that left her with a weak-looking chin, she had implants put in her mouth and cheeks.
ADDICTED TO SURGERY
She said she quickly became 'addicted' to cosmetic surgery after that, and has had at least one procedure done every year since.
And because the operations were so successful, Ms Burge became a walking advertisement for her surgeons, who repaid her by doing her procedures for free. All she had to do was pay for hospital costs.
Over the years, Ms Burge says she has become rather numb to the pain that comes with being constantly under the knife.
'It's all painful or uncomfortable to a
degree. But you go through with it because it will make me look and feel so much better,' said Ms Burge.
Her operations have also given her celebrity status after she was featured on British TV.
A celebrity agency has signed her up for bigger things and bestowed on her the title of 'World's First TV Cosmetic Surgery Ambassador'.
'It's opened doors for me and generated opportunities that I never dreamed possible,' she said.
'I am now travelling the world as a guest speaker on cosmetic surgery-related issues. I have a huge following in Italy, Norway - even Russia!
'I've also been asked to help with advertising campaigns for skin care products and to appear in TV dramas. I am truly the happiest I have ever been.'
Predictably, her advocacy of cosmetic surgery has drawn criticism from many, who say that she is encouraging women to go for potentially risky procedures all for the sake of vanity.
But Ms Burge defended herself, saying: 'I respect their opinions. In the same way I hope they will respect my decision to make myself the best I can be.
'This is certainly no casual pursuit for me. I research each procedure rigorously and make sure only the best surgeons with the appropriate expertise carry out each operation,' she said.
She is even considering having an operation in front of a TV audience if that will make people more aware of the benefits of cosmetic surgery.
'I hope my actions empower other women to realise they can choose their idea of perfection too.'
She said she would be more than happy if her daughters, who are aged 2, 12 and 23, followed in her footsteps.
'If cosmetic surgery enhanced their lives the way it has mine, I wouldn't hesitate,' said Ms Burge, who got married last year to the father of her youngest daughter.
Despite her stated desire to look like Barbie, she said that the procedures have not fundamentally changed the way she looks.
She also said that they are to stop the ageing process rather than to change her physical appearance.
'I liked the way I looked and I wanted to keep my looks the way they were,' she said.
'It's always been about maintenance with me, and not really change. It takes a lot of discipline to make a lifestyle decision like this. I'm proud that I have been strong enough to go though with it all.'
Source
I'M THE HUMAN BARBIE 
