Since the dawn of time, women have always been the staple holding the world together. Without women, there would be no mankind, as they are the bearer of our children. Throughout the ages, what is considered beautiful in women has varied. The sculpture of Venus de Willendorf depicts a woman holding her huge breasts, with a protruding belly, and very profound labia. This is how women were perceived 2.6 million years ago during the Paleolithic era. It was during this time that humans first started using stone tools. Since the Old Stone Age, a woman's beauty is perceived differently. A good interpretation of how modern day society perceives women would be a Barbie doll. Barbie is tall, skinny, and beautiful. Barbie has a car, a mansion, a yacht, and a career. Barbie has become an idol for many young girls, because she brings them a sense of empowerment. There have been many changes in the world since the Venus de Willendorf era that contribute to Barbie being the ideal woman. The Paleolithic era was more than 2.6 million years ago during this time humans began using stone tools to survive. The people of this prehistoric era used their tools for hunting, fishing, building, and creating art. Harold L. Dibble states (1992) "The Paleolithic era began about 2 million years ago in Africa with the first stone tools, and lasted until 10,000 years ago" (p.14). Venus de Willendorf is a sculpture that was created during this prehistoric era. It has been debated whether she was a fertility symbol, or simply a doll. She has no facial features or feet, her hands are holding her breasts, and her belly is round as if she recently had a child. It can be perceived that women of this era were not selected to be wives based on facial features, but by the shape of their body. Her body shape would have been a factor, because wide hips could mean that the woman was capable of bearing multiple children. In theory, the more children there were in a family, the more stability they would have. One would assume that maybe Venus de Willendorf doesn't have feet because women never saw their feet over their pregnant bellies. Perhaps another meaning for the statuette not having feet could be that the women of this era were dependent on men and could not stand on their own two feet. During the Old Stone Age women may have depended on men for food, security, and stability. Two million years ag