So I’ve been planning this post for a couple of months but never quite managing to get it quite right or shoot it quite right.
Well, it’s Friday so I figured I’d give you something for the weekend.
When we were in Berlin in November(!) we went to an amazing Helmut Newton exhibition at the photography museum.
I’ve always been a fan but this show really cemented it for me. He remains one of my all time favourite photographers. Shall we look….
As it combined three of his most famous shows including Big Nudes and as it was erm, Helmut Newton, there were a lot of boobies on display. Not unlike BOTD Towers to be fair, as when the dolls are not posing in front of my camera they are usually lying in a box lounging around completely starkers.
Which led me to…
Nipples. Did you know that some of the very early Barbie dolls had nipples?
When I got home I googled Barbie Nipples. A dangerous google search perhaps, but one I was drawn to. Now I wouldn’t recommend an image search as you will come up with all sorts, but sure enough on the web search I came across a lovely Californian lady called LaVonne (amazing name alert) who made me very happy with this quote…
You’ve probably heard me say this before – I enjoy saying it all the time especially when I am being interviewed for TV or the newspaper – but I’ll say it again now:
Nipples Are My Specialty!
OMG! I love LaVonne. She continued…
I have perfected altered barbie doll nipples. And it’s your lucky day because I am about to give you my nipple knowledge right here in an OOAK Barbie Nipple Tutorial! It’s my first tutorial on the blog!
Well I was obviously hooked!
Here is the tutorial in full. Should you feel inspired.
With a fair bit of practice and colour matching I’ve managed to create some great nipples but using nail varnish instead. So many colour options! So many nipples.
But WHY? I hear you ask? Barbies are toys. They don’t need to be sexualised by giving them nipples bla bla bla.
Well they’re not like toys to me. They are fashion mannequins. They are fit models for the clothes I design and the photoshoots I style and if they were full size models they would have nipples. I’ve seen Kate Moss’ a lot!
And what’s more. I like nipples. I have two of them myself. I’m guessing you do too. (And your children may even have them shhhhh).
So some have my dolls have been given nipples too. Not to make them sexier, though I love seeing a nipple under a t-shirt sans bra on a girl or boy (yes boys don’t wear bras. Don’t get smart with me, doll lovers) but because it’s real. We have nipples and see them all the time. It’s not that shocking or it shouldn’t be.
Is it so crazy to see a nipple in a perfume ad?
On the beach?
At the SuperBowl?
On BOTD? I’ll let you decide.
