In an attempt to educate children, a mother has started customising Barbie into pregnant and breastfeeding dolls.
28-year-old, Betty Strachan, a mother of two and a resident of Brisbane, Australia was concerned that the existing fashionista and foot loose image of Barbie may be potentially damaging psychologically to her children. She started repainting Babies to achieve more natural and diverse look.
“Not every child is born with blonde hair and blue eyes. Some have freckles, some have gaps in their teeth,” Betty explained on her page on Etsy.
What started as a hobby soon turned into a serious trade with a cause and purpose. Recently Betty has come out with a series of customised Barbie dolls to counter the mystery and stigma that surrounds motherhood and breastfeeding.
“The decision to make a breastfeeding doll didn’t come consciously. I’m a member of a mothers’ group that’s comprised of very lovely and supportive women,” Betty told Huffington Post. “I remember one day, I was drawing the new face on a Barbie doll, and she just seemed to be the embodiment of the entire group.”
“So I mimicked the positioning of a latched baby with an old figurine I had and called her the ‘Mamas Worldwide Barbie,” she said.
She’s selling these parenting dolls in her shop at Etsy and is getting overwhelming response.
