Feminist Barbie is a size 16 with tattoos and a hijab

Life


Feminist Barbie is a size 16 with tattoos and a hijab

By Stylist Team

11 years ago

An illustrative artist has re-imagined Barbie through a feminist lens, as a woman with muscles, tattoos, body piercings, a hijab and a body shape that fluctuates from size 6-24.

Colleen Clark, whose runs the website colleenclarkart.net, undertook the project for Marie Claire South Africa.

They asked her to create a feminist version of the iconic toy which would represent real, contemporary women in all their different facets.

Under the title "We Are All Barbie Girls", Clark came up with four different sketches that bring a thought-provoking spin to conventional Barbie with her trim, tattoo-free body.

The first of Colleen's illustrations shows "My Size Barbie" with clothes in size 6-24. Then there's "Choose Your Own Piercings" Barbie with a myriad of tattoos and piercing options. "Fashion Hijab" Barbie lets you choose from five head scarves and "Fun & Fit" Barbie comes with a free pedometer and lots of muscle.

The tag line to the collection reads, "Available in any ethnicity, plus any eye colour and hair colour."

"I think Barbie is a really complex feminine icon, and I was so excited to get the chance to add to the discussion," says Clark. "I think a feminist Barbie would love her body and love my body too, because feminism is all about accepting yourself and others for who we all are!"

"'A feminist Barbie' would be proud of her own thin frame and proud of another woman’s curvier one," she added. "She would be proud of a woman’s decision to own her own body by deciding to tattoo it, strengthen it, or wear religious coverings. If being a Barbie girl (or boy, or anything in-between) meant being accepted and accepting of others, I think we’d all want to be on Barbie’s side."

What would your version of a feminist Barbie be? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter.

Words: Anna Brech, photos: Colleen Clark at colleenclarkart.tumblr.com

Disclaimer: This is parody art and is not associated in any way with the brand or manufacturers of Barbie

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