Mom Gives Dolls Makeovers to Make Them Look Like Real Girls

The Barbie dolls we all knew growing up don’t show what women are like today. Upon looking at them, it’s striking how they look more like an oddly sensual, alien-like woman with oversized lips, rather than the 12-year-old girl they’re supposed to represent. Bothered by this, Sonia Singh, an artist from Tasmania, set out on a quest to local thrift stores. Her goal was to find dolls that desperately needed a makeover to tone down their exaggerated features.

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“These lil fashion dolls have opted for a ‘tree change,’ swapping high-maintenance glitz ‘n’ glamour for down-to-earth style,” the artist claims.

Based in Hobart, Tasmania, Singh often grabs Bratz and Barbie dolls. She gives them a fresh look with new faces, fixes up their hair, crafts some new shoes, and then decks them out in outfits her mom sews and knits: they’re aiming to make these fashion dolls more relatable and down-to-earth for kids, breaking away from the high-maintenance glamour.

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The artist found inspiration in her own modest upbringing for this project. “My sisters and I grew up playing with second-hand dolls and homemade toys in the beautiful Tasmanian natural environment,” she wrote. “I love the satisfaction of repairing and reusing discarded items to give them a new lease on life.”

The outcome is relatable for any young girl, with the dolls’ creator capturing them in photos doing typical childhood activities — like climbing trees, swinging on tires, and playing outdoors. After posting pictures of her project online, Ms. Singh has been inundated with support from parents eager to buy these toys. She’s now gearing up to launch an online store on Etsy, where she plans to sell these second-hand dolls to appreciative homes, each accompanied by a ’before’ photo.

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More and more people are working to make the world a welcoming place and more inclusive, especially for the next generation. They’re pushing to teach kids to appreciate all body types and embrace every kind of beauty.