A mother from Swindon, Kate Claxton, has taken a unique approach to promote body positivity and self-acceptance by painting stretch marks on a Barbie doll.
Kate, 35, developed stretch marks during her pregnancy and struggled with postnatal anxiety. Determined to teach her three-year-old daughter that stretch marks are normal and nothing to be ashamed of, Kate decided to create a doll that represented her own body.
Kate’s daughter is a big fan of Barbie dolls, but Kate noticed that none of the dolls she could find accurately represented her own body.
In an effort to address this lack of diversity, Kate used nail varnish to paint stretch marks on a doll. She hopes that by doing so, she can encourage Barbie manufacturer, Mattel, to create dolls that reflect the natural diversity of women’s bodies.
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Speaking about her decision, Kate said, “My daughter has really started getting into Barbies recently and I almost recoiled when I bought her first one.
“It was typically Barbie-like – perfectly proportioned, long legs, blonde hair. We’ve since brought other versions with vitiligo, prosthetic legs and fuller figures.
“So to their credit, they do more inclusive dolls but I could not find one anywhere with stretch marks.”
She added searching for stretch marks online leads to advice on getting rid of them and creams to treat them but she “found little evidence of people embracing them.”
Kate said “mums need” to “accept they are perfectly normal and let their children know the same”.
She explained: “Women are more likely to end up with stretch marks than have blonde hair so I think it’s about time Barbie got on board and made a doll to represent this.
“Children should know stretch marks are natural for mummies, and any other women for that matter, to have.”
Kate, who is a children’s author, has previously written a book called “My Mum’s a Tiger,” which explores the topic of stretch marks. The book has sold 13,000 copies worldwide and has received positive feedback from women who feel more confident about their stretch marks after reading it.
Mattel has made efforts in recent years to promote diversity and inclusivity in their Barbie doll line. They have introduced dolls with disabilities, including Down’s syndrome and prosthetic limbs, as well as dolls with different ethnicities. However, there is still a lack of representation when it comes to stretch marks.
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Kate believes that it is time for Barbie to embrace stretch marks and create dolls that reflect the natural diversity of women’s bodies.
By painting stretch marks on a Barbie doll, Kate hopes to normalise the idea of stretch marks and encourage self-acceptance. She wants her daughter and other children to grow up understanding that there are many different ways to be beautiful and that imperfections are nothing to be ashamed of.
Kate’s initiative has already had a positive impact on her daughter. When she showed her the doll with stretch marks, her daughter didn’t even mention them, indicating that they are already seen as normal. Kate hopes that this acceptance will continue as her daughter grows older.
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