Ashton Clarke, a 22-year-old Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology from Knoxville, Tenn., sticks out among her peers. She is fluent in Norwegian, Spanish, Persian and English, and she is an exhibited artist. But the real reason she stands out is her Barbie doll appearance.
Over the past six years, Clarke has transformed herself into a life-size Barbie, with hair bleach, fake tans, colored contacts, lip fillers and makeup contouring. She explains that she was scared to start her transformation for fear that she'd be made fun of but is now happier with herself than she's ever been. She has garnered a large internet following for her videos and blog posts that show how she achieves her look.
"The positive feedback is well worth any hate comments. When someone makes a rude comment on my photos, I make sure to let them know that my makeup isn't for them. It's for me," she said, according to The Daily Star.
Clarke's Barbie transformation was a way for her to overcome the crippling shyness she experienced as a child, reported The Daily Mail. "I had always associated the 'Barbie look' with confidence and, being so painfully shy, the possibility of feeling confident and beautiful was very appealing," said Clarke.
"For me when I look 'fake', I feel more like 'me' than I ever have been in my life. This is how I like to look. It may not be natural but it's 'me.' People are always so taken back when they meet me because I don't fit into the stereotypical mould they've placed me in because of my 'artificial' appearance. They expect me to be an airhead or shallow," she said, according to The Mirror.
Her only complaint is that she has a hard time getting people to take her seriously in an academic context. She hopes that people will begin to see that her choice to look the way she does is harmless and that she should not be judged for it.
"There are so many individuals who believe that you can't be a successful academic whilst also dedicating time to your appearance. I want to show that it is possible. Makeup is an art and looking like a Barbie is just one of my many interests," Clarke said, reported The Daily Mail.
