Woman Designs Plain Dolls To Combat ‘Sexy’ Barbie And Ken
A woman has designed her own line of plain looking dolls after growing fed up with how ‘sexy’ the Barbie and Ken alternatives were getting.
Bee Hale has decided that the outfits, shape and make-up featured on the kids’ favourites have got out of hand, and has deliberately gone for a “realistic” look for her own designs.
The 46-year-old buys the second hand toys from car-boot sales and charity shops then sets to work changed their body shape, removing any traces of make-up and dressing them up in more “acceptable” outfits.
They are then packaged up and sold as ‘Rescue Dolls’ - and business is apparently booming.
Bee, from Redruth, Cornwall, said: “It’s not just for girls, it’s for all children.
"We are also trying to de-sexualise these overly made up dolls, to make them more acceptable for children to play with.
"We are just trying to make children feel more at ease with what they are going through.
"We do boy dolls as well, because we think that is very important. We make boy dolls to resemble the more effeminate boys.”
Bee thinks that having one of her own dolls when she was a child might have made her more secure with her body shape and she wants others to have that chance.
She added: "I make dolls more acceptable for children and ensure that they send the right message to girls that you don’t have to look like the manufacturers say you do.”
The hairdresser’s recycling process for the dolls starts by wiping off the original face using acetone, before repainting them with watercolour pencils and acrylic paint and then sealing them with non-toxic varnish.
Bee then adds detachable shoes, hand-made clothes, and special adornments such as hearing aids depending on the specification.
She even makes specialist dolls for children with illnesses such as cancer, making them up to look like they are undergoing chemotherapy.
She said: “It makes the children feel a bit more at one with themselves, and accepting of their own individual marks.
"We make them with no hair for children with cancer, and for children going through chemo, that sort of thing.
"I present dolls with imperfections so that children can see that that is ok.”
The dolls sell for between £25 and £40, with most of the profits donated to charity.
Would you buy one of Bee’s dolls? Are children’s toys becoming too sexy? Tweet us @YahooStyleUK.
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