And while Barbie has some really positive, inspiring qualities — the doll has had practically every job possible, because girls and women can do anything — there’s definitely a downside. Barbie, in her generally thin, white, blondeness, represents one very narrow, unattainable beauty ideal. But we know that beauty comes in many forms. So we decided to give Barbie the real life, body-positive makeover the doll really deserves. The Revelist staff each picked their favorite Barbie doll and recreated her look IRL from head to toe. Not only did we learn firsthand that life in plastic is fantastic, we learned a lot about ourselves along the way. Plus-size sheer mesh dress ($12.99, Forever 21) However, Jess faced her fears and SLAYED in the dress, even though she wasn’t exactly comfortable. Even posing was a challenge. “Posing felt awkward at first,” Jess said. “I think I was trying to make my body look as ‘flattering’ as possible to make it seem thinner. Then I realized that Plus-size Barbie was meant to look like me.” “Though I only had two Barbies and I mostly ignored them, the way those dolls looked probably did influence the way I felt about my own body,” Alle mused. “I just assumed that part of growing up was becoming very thin and busty the way Barbie was. Barbie’s body was normal — I thought mine was abnormal by comparison.” It really has taken decades for the Barbie doll to break away from that association. “I have a bob, and Barbie always has very long hair,” explained Alle. “So I faked it…This entire hair look was held together with bobby pins, a full can of hairspray, and prayers.” Although we’re not sure if Barbie is doing any serious swimming with a strapless swimsuit — Alle’s version is WAY more functional, since it actually has straps. After a series of failures, Alle eventually found the La Blanca Mime Games Mitred One Piece Swimsuit ($95.20, Bloomingdales). “It was SO HARD to find a striped one-piece swimsuit in 2017,” she said. “Even though I didn’t try it on until the day of the shoot, this one fit amazingly. My Barbie makeover made me feel incredible.” TV Store Online mermaid tail ($25.95, TV Store Online) Other than the fin, Mermaid Barbie definitely fit society’s views of beauty. “My family is from the Dominican Republic and its history of colonialism and slavery heavily impacted what future generations consider beautiful. My curly frizzy hair, facial features, and body type don’t fit into that all,” Cindy lamented. “Barbie represents those ideals that I wasn’t built to reach, but I don’t blame her. This way of thinking is rooted in our troubling history, and I’ve worked very hard as an adult to break free of that and be proud of what makes me unique.” “This is vastly different from my normal makeup look which is a brown smoky eye sans eyeliner — I rarely ever give myself enough time for that — with a nude or statement red lip,” she said. “It was a change to see myself look like this, and it made me appreciate my regular look even more.” “Barbie’s persona is inspiring because she can be whoever she wants to be or you want her to be… she can take on any role. So even though I look nothing like her, I’ve definitely had to be as flexible as she is in the career department,” Cindy said. Brittany also felt like she and Workout Barbie had other things in common. “I feel like we have the same persona. We wear workout clothes, motivate others to move their bodies so they can be healthy, and we’re always smiling. The actual doll definitely has bigger boobs though,” Brittany added. I’m still smaller in the bust area, and I still struggle to love my body today. Why not be a president this week, then an astronaut the next, and throw in prima ballerina on the weekend? Although we have YET to have a Black female president — heck even a female president — it’s still nice to see that the dolls young girls play with can inspire their imaginations. Express 24 inch one button jacket ($128, Express) I think I look like a fierce leader, but standing like that just threw everything off. I wanted her to have a stronger, more commander-in-chief-like pose. I didn’t really see much difference in her stance than the other dolls, even though she’s running the whole damn country! Also, finding a red jacket and (discontinued) matching pants (both from Express) in 2017 is A LOT harder than you think. Props to all you bold pantsuit-wearers out there. Presidential Barbie demonstrated that women of color CAN have the highest office in the land, and slay at the same time. Barbie will always be an icon, but now in a new way. Rather than encouraging young women to fit an unattainable ideal, hopefully Barbie continues to reflect the beautiful, diverse, and driven women who used to own them — after all, we may give them to our own daughters one day.
title: “5 Women Got Barbie Makeovers To Be Their Own Beauty Ideal” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-25” author: “Deborah Diven”
And while Barbie has some really positive, inspiring qualities — the doll has had practically every job possible, because girls and women can do anything — there’s definitely a downside. Barbie, in her generally thin, white, blondeness, represents one very narrow, unattainable beauty ideal. But we know that beauty comes in many forms. So we decided to give Barbie the real life, body-positive makeover the doll really deserves. The Revelist staff each picked their favorite Barbie doll and recreated her look IRL from head to toe. Not only did we learn firsthand that life in plastic is fantastic, we learned a lot about ourselves along the way. Plus-size sheer mesh dress ($12.99, Forever 21) However, Jess faced her fears and SLAYED in the dress, even though she wasn’t exactly comfortable. Even posing was a challenge. “Posing felt awkward at first,” Jess said. “I think I was trying to make my body look as ‘flattering’ as possible to make it seem thinner. Then I realized that Plus-size Barbie was meant to look like me.” “Though I only had two Barbies and I mostly ignored them, the way those dolls looked probably did influence the way I felt about my own body,” Alle mused. “I just assumed that part of growing up was becoming very thin and busty the way Barbie was. Barbie’s body was normal — I thought mine was abnormal by comparison.” It really has taken decades for the Barbie doll to break away from that association. “I have a bob, and Barbie always has very long hair,” explained Alle. “So I faked it…This entire hair look was held together with bobby pins, a full can of hairspray, and prayers.” Although we’re not sure if Barbie is doing any serious swimming with a strapless swimsuit — Alle’s version is WAY more functional, since it actually has straps. After a series of failures, Alle eventually found the La Blanca Mime Games Mitred One Piece Swimsuit ($95.20, Bloomingdales). “It was SO HARD to find a striped one-piece swimsuit in 2017,” she said. “Even though I didn’t try it on until the day of the shoot, this one fit amazingly. My Barbie makeover made me feel incredible.” TV Store Online mermaid tail ($25.95, TV Store Online) Other than the fin, Mermaid Barbie definitely fit society’s views of beauty. “My family is from the Dominican Republic and its history of colonialism and slavery heavily impacted what future generations consider beautiful. My curly frizzy hair, facial features, and body type don’t fit into that all,” Cindy lamented. “Barbie represents those ideals that I wasn’t built to reach, but I don’t blame her. This way of thinking is rooted in our troubling history, and I’ve worked very hard as an adult to break free of that and be proud of what makes me unique.” “This is vastly different from my normal makeup look which is a brown smoky eye sans eyeliner — I rarely ever give myself enough time for that — with a nude or statement red lip,” she said. “It was a change to see myself look like this, and it made me appreciate my regular look even more.” “Barbie’s persona is inspiring because she can be whoever she wants to be or you want her to be… she can take on any role. So even though I look nothing like her, I’ve definitely had to be as flexible as she is in the career department,” Cindy said. Brittany also felt like she and Workout Barbie had other things in common. “I feel like we have the same persona. We wear workout clothes, motivate others to move their bodies so they can be healthy, and we’re always smiling. The actual doll definitely has bigger boobs though,” Brittany added. I’m still smaller in the bust area, and I still struggle to love my body today. Why not be a president this week, then an astronaut the next, and throw in prima ballerina on the weekend? Although we have YET to have a Black female president — heck even a female president — it’s still nice to see that the dolls young girls play with can inspire their imaginations. Express 24 inch one button jacket ($128, Express) I think I look like a fierce leader, but standing like that just threw everything off. I wanted her to have a stronger, more commander-in-chief-like pose. I didn’t really see much difference in her stance than the other dolls, even though she’s running the whole damn country! Also, finding a red jacket and (discontinued) matching pants (both from Express) in 2017 is A LOT harder than you think. Props to all you bold pantsuit-wearers out there. Presidential Barbie demonstrated that women of color CAN have the highest office in the land, and slay at the same time. Barbie will always be an icon, but now in a new way. Rather than encouraging young women to fit an unattainable ideal, hopefully Barbie continues to reflect the beautiful, diverse, and driven women who used to own them — after all, we may give them to our own daughters one day.
