Barbara Cushing Mortimer Paley (July 5, 1915 – July 6, 1978) was an American magazine editor and socialite. Affectionately known as Babe throughout her life, Paley made notable contributions to the field of magazine editing. In recognition of her distinctive fashion sense, she was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1958. Together with her two sisters, Minnie and Betsey, she was a popular debutante in her youth and the trio were dubbed "The Fabulous Cushing Sisters" in high society. She was married twice; first, to the sportsman Stanley G. Mortimer Jr. and second, to CBS founder William S. Paley.

Barbara Cushing Mortimer Paley, born Barbara Cushing in Boston, Massachusetts, was the daughter of renowned brain surgeon Harvey Cushing, who belonged to a prominent Cleveland medical family and held professorships at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale, and Katharine Stone (née Crowell), a granddaughter of Ohio congressman John Crowell. She spent her formative years in Brookline, Massachusetts. Summers were spent at the family cottage, Little Boar’s Head on the coast off New Hampshire.

Barbara's father was committed to his career and would spend long hours at his work which meant that his wife was left at home alone with the couple's five children. Though affectionate towards his children when home he would spend much of his time in his study. Cushing was also stern and demanded perfectionism.

Within the family Barbara was known as "Baby" or "Babs" which would eventually become the moniker she was known by, Babe.

Barbara had two older sisters, Mary and Betsey, who both entered into unions with affluent families: Mary Cushing became the second wife of Vincent Astor, while Betsey Cushing married twice, first to James Roosevelt, the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and later to John Hay Whitney. Together, the Cushing sisters were often referred to by the public as 'The Fabulous Cushing Sisters'.

Barbara’s oldest brother William died in an automobile accident in 1926, near New Haven where he was attending Yale University. The death of her brother was a devastating blow to Barbara’s parents. While her father threw himself into his work, her mother would attend seances in order to connect with the spirit of her son.

Barbara attended the Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut where she graduated at the top of her class.In October 1934, she made her debut as a debutante in Boston at the Ritz-Carlton, an event that garnered attention amid the challenges of the Great Depression. Notably, sons of Roosevelt attended her debut. This marked the beginning of her social journey. She completed her high school education at Winsor School in Boston in 1934.

In 1937, Paley was involved in a car accident while returning from a party on Long Island when the drunk male driver crashed into a tree. The accident led to her front teeth being knocked out and a shattered jawbone. Doctors had to reconstruct her jaw and teeth. Later in life there would be rumors that she had undergone plastic surgery.