Meet the 'real life Barbie' who models her clothes, car and 'DreamHouse' on the iconic doll
Watch: Meet the 'real life Barbie' who models her clothes, car and 'DreamHouse' on the iconic doll
Meet the "real life Barbie" who models her clothes, car and "DreamHouse" on the iconic doll, but worries her obsession with the doll will put off future partners.
Katie Loveday, 18, who runs her own clothing business, from Sleaford, Lincolnshire has dressed in all pink for as long as she can remember and has a big collection of around 100 Barbie dolls.
She stopped wearing her favourite colour in secondary school - after feeling pressure to dress like her friends and classmates, but returned to her staple style after leaving school in 2020.
Now, she's back to feeling more like herself, but is worried her extreme look will prevent potential relationships.
“Since I can remember, I’ve always had loads of Barbies," she explains.
"I always got them as presents for birthdays and have all the limited edition dolls - like the Dream Wedding Barbie and the one which came with the pink car."
Katie says her mum, Alison, 55, noticed her obsession with the colour and started buying her daughter pink clothes as she is also a fan of the hue having kitted her house out in baby pink decor.
“My mum is very bling and sparkly,” Katie explains.
“She has a baby pink style, whereas I love all shades of pink."
Having dressed in all pink since she was a toddler, Katie’s style began to change in year seven.
“I wanted to copy everyone else a bit," she explains. "But my style became very basic and very plain.
“I was wearing plain white t-shirts, white shoes and skinny jeans all the time.
“I felt very insecure in those outfits - and I couldn’t understand why.
"Once I’d finished school and become a more independent person, I realised I didn’t actually look good in any of those clothes - I was just wearing what I thought other people wanted me to wear.”
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Throughout lockdown in 2020, Katie says her love of the colour ramped up.
"I had so much time on my hands, I just felt like I wanted to start expressing myself more," she says.
“Even adding the smallest accents of pink to my make up - my confidence grew and I felt so much more like myself.
“I’d got my individuality back.”
Now, Katie spends “a good chunk" of her pay check on pink clothes and refuses to wear anything that isn’t a shade of the colour.
“If I’m out shopping my eyes just naturally draw to pink things - there’s no point trying to wear anything else," she explains.
“I shop online for new bits every single day - I have ‘new collection’ alerts on so many of my apps and have even managed to adjust it so it’s only pink clothing.
“Then, when I’ve worn the outfits a few times, I usually just sell them on my Depop and buy more.”
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Despite re-discovering her unique style, Katie worries her look will scare dates off.
“I just expect people I’m dating to walk into my room and think the all-pink is too much," she says.
“I worry most people also want a partner who dresses more chill - while I base my entire look on the Barbies of my childhood.”
Katie’s home decor is also entirely pink themed, and she's looking to paint the outside of her blue car entirely pink, to match its interior.
“I need the pink car so badly - all the covers and interiors in my car are pink - but I’m definitely going to be painting the whole thing in the future," she says.
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And while she admits to not being a "film person" she's excited for the Barbie movie's release.
“Childhood me would go absolutely crazy seeing her style represented onscreen," she says.
“I just know when I watch it, I’ll be like: ‘I need that outfit’.
"I’m already trying to find a dupe for those pink shoes.”
Additional reporting SWNS.
