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To be or not to be Barbie

The Real Barbie

Together Again

They were like this before.

Plus Size Problems

Dear Niel,

I'm happy you didn't make a sock dress for me. You took time to create a pattern just for me. I feel special knowing that unlike others, the patterns cannot be shared by a number of dolls. It's especially made for me.

I know my love for fashion doesn't show because I don't aspire to be anorexic like some fashion models but I do appreciate beautiful clothes and styling. Not a lot of fashion designers would want to dress me. Manufacturers would rather not risk spending extra capital on to solve plus size problems in fashion.

They stereotyped us as people who doesn't care about the way we look just because of our size. They think we can settle with dated and shapeless clothes that lacks character. I even heard someone say that I can just borrow Ken's pants. The nerve!

My love affair with fashion is unrequited but you loved me back.

I'm glad you didn't style me like Melissa McCarthy, fully covered. I like showing my arms even if they're big. I'm also happy that you didn't make me wear dyke fashion like Rosie O'Donnell even if we have the same body and we're both lesbians.

I really appreciate what you have done for me. Please don't take it the wrong way if I expected more. Let's be honest. The clothes the you've made me are pretty basic. I know I need to build my basic wardrobe, too, but I'm looking forward to you making something that shows my character. You know how I am. I'm far from basic.

Feeling Loved,

Vernie

Rachel

I learned from fellow hobbyists that the petite dolls are about the current Skipper's height, which is shorter than the teen Skipper dolls. Susie isn't my first petite, Rachel is.

Since there is no assurance that the new bodies will land locally and since I have a headless Skipper body lying around and a shrunken Raquelle head, too, I might as well make my own petite.

My First Petite

It's Susie. She has better articulation. She's able to fit in a lot of Barbie clothes and shoes. I've had her for years although I seldom play with her. She seemed out of place in Barbie's circle of friends.

I don't know if I'll be getting any of the new petite dolls. I have dolls that can stand in for petites like the teen Skipper size dolls.

Friends

It should be apparent that I'm no millennial. I don't strive to get a number of likes or followers. It's easy to find people who has the same fashion sense or hobby as I do but I don't call them friends. Friends enrich each others lives by sharing their selves, their ideas and experiences. Who doesn't want that?  Who doesn't want meaningful relationships?

Negative

You may have noticed that sometimes, this blog leaves a negative aftertaste.  I can understand that for someone who has the same view as the posted commentary below, this blog can be unsavory. Not everyone is strong enough to handle a little unprettiness. It takes a lot to see the pretty in the "unpretty". We all have our weaknesses.

Maybe it's not about the ability to handle negativity but opting not to handle it. Real life has enough negativity that some people need respite. One word comes to mind: escapism. I have no inkling about the tragedies one underwent to resort to escapism so let's leave it at that.

I'm a self-confessed pessimist. If you give me a plan, I can usually come up with scenarios on how it will not work. The process of engaging the negative doesn't end there. The weak usually gets demotivated while the stronger ones come up with better plans. Be reminded that it was a pessimist who invented things like the parachute and the airbag.

Western culture values the positive over the negative. I prefer the the Eastern view of balancing both sides.

Do dolls really make you happy?

Let me rephrase the question. When the going gets tough, when you cannot sustain everything, which source of happiness will you let go first? Will your pet be the first to go? Will it be the family? Will it be your work? Will it be your jewelries? Will it be your car? Will it be your internet connection? Will it be your TV? Will it be your smart phone? Life has a strange way of asking the question. I have answered it a number of times. For me it's the dolls that I will let go first.

Messy fit

One of my fashion related pet peeves is ill-fitting clothes, especially those that could lead to a "wardrobe malfunction" (read:hello booobies). Sometimes, I'd like to tell others, "there is supposed to be a waist (for the sheath silhouette),"  or "I don't think there should be draping or ruching on the crotch (for pants)," or "her boobs are too small for that bodice, you can fit another set of boobs in there," but saying things like that can hurt feelings. So we participate in deluding one another by giving false praises. It's part of fitting in.

I like well-fitted clothes more than fitting in certain societies. I rarely leave praises so other people don't have to feel obliged to return the favor.

No.Fuzz.

Have. Enough.

Not yet enough...

Get. It?

You get the idea...

Stop. Hate.

More talk to follow.

Where. Here.

to be continued...

X-MEN shorts: Everything is Awesome

Beware: The Thrift Store Doll

Thrift stores offer some of the most interesting doll finds. I never thought it would be as interesting as this.

I came home from the province and saw that the few dolls I had on display have fallen down, except for one. It was probably due to the earthquake that hit Metro Manila early this year while I was away (10Jan2015). I just fixed the dolls on their stands and went on with my life.

I go to the province almost every weekend and last weekend was the same. I came back and saw that the dolls have fallen again, except for one. There was no earthquake that time. It was like those times when we can't explain what happened and then we have those cliche feelings we get from ghost stories. Goosebumps.

Although the Philippines is known to be a Catholic country, majority of Filipinos still have pagan beliefs, like me. I have a friend whom we believe to have a sixth sense.  I asked her to meet me in a mall last night. I brought her the doll that remained standing so she could check it.

She asked me if I knew the former owner. I told my friend that I got the doll early this year from an online seller who bought it from a thrift store. The online seller said she needed to raise funds because of some misfortune. I didn't bother knowing exactly what.

It was haunted. According to a friend, the original owner of the doll had a violent death. She was in her doll room when she died. And she loved all her dolls so much. She advised me to get rid of it. I immediately looked for a trash bin in the mall. I pity the person who will find that doll and decide to keep it.

This experience have made me think twice before buying from the thrift stores. Tonight, I'm going to the province one again. I would really freak out if when I come back and see all the dolls I have on display fall once again and the haunted doll back at the shelf.

Team Building

The membership of the Peace Operation and Strategic Espionage Reserve (POSER) is slowly growing. The newest agent is Angel. She is a tech expert.

 

Agent Angel

The ranks are filled by a meticulous screening conducted by Edeline. Knowing the abilities and weaknesses of each agent, she is also in charge of building a team for each mission.

 

Agent Edeline

The Never Starting Story

Last year, in the hopes of making the most out of my existing dolls, I gave them characters. It was easy to cast them as fashion models so that there is an excuse to make them wear beautiful clothes normal people don't wear. They all work for a modeling agency called Posers Inc.

The models of Posers Inc.

Posers are people who pretend to be what they are not. A modeling agency sounds like a good venue for that. I was supposed to write a cliche story about rising to the top of the modeling industry but then I didn't really have that much inspiration nor motivation. Plus, a lot of doll folks are already doing that.

Just thinking of all the work (writing the story, making the props including the costumes for each dolls, then taking pictures, editing etc.) makes me overwhelmed especially if I'm trying  to raise my standards for my work. Plus, I have other plans, both doll and non-doll related. That story never started.

Focusing on my existing dolls, made me realize how much I like certain dolls more than the others. Whenever I have a new idea for my dolls, I usually try them out on my favorites first. Just like this new story that might never start as well.

The TV series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got me inspired to make a story about superhero spies. I call mine P.O.S.E.R. Agents. P.O.S.E.R. stands for Peace Operation and Strategic Espionage Reserve. My top two favorite dolls are the first two agents.

Being spies they can take on any role, fake any job. Unlike by simply being models, they can look un-glamorous and still be in character. Even if I cannot make a full length spy story yet, short stories with snap shots will do... for now.

Agent Kayla

Agent Kira

Kayla is a martial arts expert while Kira is the sharpshooter. Both agents work as models in Posers Inc. They both have no idea that the other is a P.O.S.E.R. agent as well. Each one competes with the other to be the top model. What happens if they are required to cooperate for a certain mission?