The Evolution of Barbie - Barbie Fashionistas

Barbie has always been a part of my life and with each doll Mattel release they seem to evolve, the release of the new Fashionistas dolls has been another interesting development. With dolls of all shapes, sizes, skin colour, eye colour and hair now available, it has been interesting to see some of these dolls up close.

When my daughter examined them as we took them from the box she only saw the different clothes, she didn’t see the different skin colour or sizes, although she did comment on the slighty wider legs of Chambray chic, but it was more of a passing comment than criticism. It certainly makes you look at yourself and think about how the comments we make have an effect on how they see the world.

These dolls are a great addition to our collection and for me epitomise what Barbie has always been about, clothing and fashion. Yes I would have liked to have seen more practical clothing and styles but the new flatter feet mean new shoes that I would have loved for my Barbie as a young girl. I remember my mum making dresses and trousers out of old scraps of material and being able to dress my dolls up in the clothes of the time, these offer just that.

My daughter took to playing with them as she would any doll, making them talk to each other about random stuff from clothes to what they'd done that day. The clothes themselves are almost interchangeable with the slimmer fitting ones struggling to be done up at the back of Chambray Chic, but that didn't really matter as most of the time my daughter doesn't manage to do the clothes up properly anyway, the shoes on the tall and petit dolls don't interchange either but that is fine, you just need to remember whose shoes are who's.

The dolls stick with the signature facial style of the original Barbie so are recognisable, but all have their own look. I really love the curly hair on Crazy for Coral, it reminds me of a perm I had back in the day and I loved it then and even now, I would love curly hair, it is this imagination that Barbie sparks.

Barbie creating these dolls means that children get a chance to see from within their imaginations that everyone is different, that it is normal and there is nothing to be ashamed of. Playing with dolls that are different shapes, sizes and colours helps them to understand that in the real world people are all different and that this is normal.

My daughters favourite doll is Crazy for Coral, she loves the dress "because it's shiny and she likes the pattern". With such a huge selection to chose from I can't wait to see the rest, their are some more wonderful hair colours and clothes and my daughter has already chosen the ones she'd like next.

The new 2016 Barbie Fashionistas doll line includes four body types (the original, petite, curvy and tall) seven skin tones, 22 eye colours, 24 hairstyles and countless on trend fashions and accessories. The RRP is just £9.99 and they are available to order now from Amazon. Mattel have also released a great video all about The Evolution of Barbie, it is a great insight into the changes.

NB We were sent these dolls for the purpose of the review, all words an opinions are my own.

A Big Thank You

This week saw me cut off my hair for Cancer Research and The Little Princess Trust, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of so many people and businesses.

I wanted to thank these companies and people on my blog and tell you to go and check them out.

First of all a huge thank you to the person who made it all possible, Andrew at Sutherland and Barnett, without his support and honesty I don’t think I would have gone through with it. I knew he had his reservations but I love my hair and without his skill and nerves we wouldn’t have made it.

Secondly to the wonderful and talented Jenni from Make Up By Jenni, without her I wouldn’t have had the confidence I needed to face the cameras and the lights of the salon. I felt as good as I did on my wedding day and her support and generosity was more than I ever could have asked for.

Sam from Inphase Media/Sam Rushmer Photography, not only did you capture the day but you were a great support and kept me focussed on what I was doing. The pictures are amazing and I cannot thank you enough for capturing both mine and my family's journey through this experience.

A huge thanks to my family and friends, especially my husband whose support was unwavering and my beautiful children whose response couldn't have been better.

And finally to everyone who sponsored me and helped me raise over £700 for Cancer Research, I can only hope that it goes someway to helping the fight against this awful disease.

There is still time to donate via my justgiving page.

Cutting My Hair Off for Cancer Research

On the 7th September I am going to have my hair cut off to raise money for Cancer Research with my hair being donated to The Little Princess Trust.

So why? In the last year alone six people we know have died from cancer, some very suddenly some after a long fight.

My cousin is still suffering with the after effects of his cancer and there are still so many people we know fighting every day.

This decision has been a tough one, I have never had my hair shorter than a bob before so it is a big step. But I wanted to make a statement in my stand against cancer, not just for those we have lost, but those that are still fighting and in the hope we may one day find a cure.

During the next two months, I intend to raise as much awareness as I can of the different cancers that have affected those lives and how silent they can be.

So in the mean time I will be posting pictures of my hair, hopefully it will be the required length by the 7th September. 

I am off to see Andrew at Sutherland and Barnett tomorrow to discuss what we need to think about, how we are going to cut it etc tomorrow so will hopefully have a better idea of whether we can still do it on the 7th September tomorrow.

If you have a moment and a few pounds to spare I would be so grateful if you could pop on over to my Just Giving page, you can see a picture of me looking daft and read my story and who I am doing it for.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow...Maybe?

I have never had a great relationship with my hair, it's frizzy and does what it wants most of the time. One side will be nicely curled under the other swishing outwards like I was caught in a strong gust of wind.

So when yet another friend of the family died from cancer I wondered if cutting my hair off would not only set me free of my hair burden but also give me the perfect opportunity to raise money for Cancer Research and Macmillan Nurses.

If it was a really close family member that was ill with this most hideous of diseases I don't think I would think twice about it but they are friends, some we know well some we have 'known' for years but not seen in a while.

So would I look silly? Cutting my hair off for a cause that hasn't actually affected my life directly?

I have run the race for life a few times and whilst I enjoyed I wanted to do something different that could maybe raise a lot of money, whilst doing something I kinda want to do.

So would you do it? Am I being silly? I am not the most confident of people but this is about research too, to protect the ones I love from anything the future could hold!