WHY DOLLS MATTERS ?
Because it’s never been just about dolls.
People often smile when I tell them I collect Barbies. Some laugh, others are curious, and some think it’s wonderful.
Then comes the inevitable question: “But what do you actually do with them?”
Well, here’s my answer.
01 — THE BEGINNING
IT STARTED WITH A WOMAN WHO IMAGINED SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
In the late 1950s, Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara play.
At the time, most dolls were babies. You fed them, rocked them and practised becoming a mother.
But Barbara was doing something different.
She played with paper dolls representing grown women, imagining their clothes, careers and lives.
Ruth understood that little girls wanted more than the opportunity to imagine themselves as mothers. They also wanted to imagine the women they might become.
So she created the doll her daughter was already imagining: an adult woman, with a wardrobe, a career and a life of her own.
In 1959, Barbie was born.
And from the very beginning, she carried an extraordinary idea:
Girls should be free to imagine themselves becoming anything they want.
02 — REPRESENTATION MATTERS
One of the Christie Dolls I had when I was a kid
BARBIE HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE THAN A BLONDE IN PINK.
In France, Barbie is still too often reduced to her 1980s image.
Blonde. Pink. A little silly. Completely superficial.
And, quite frankly, that drives me crazy!
Because this cliché overlooks so much of her history.
In 1968, Christie, one of Barbie’s first Black friends, joined the collection, at a time when the United States was still confronting the legacy of racial segregation.
Then, in 1980, Mattel introduced the first Black doll officially named Barbie, designed by Kitty Black Perkins, a Black American designer.
Her original packaging proudly declared:
“She’s Black! She’s Beautiful! She’s Dynamite!”
Now, I have no illusions about what a multinational company is.
But I also believe in giving credit where it’s due.
When it comes to representation, Mattel made important moves remarkably early.
And when you grow up in a world where people who look like you are not always represented, that matters.
Representation isn’t a detail. It’s the possibility of seeing yourself in the story.
03 — WHEN BARBIE SPOKE
THEN, IN 2023, BARBIE HAD SOMETHING TO SAY.
In Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023), Gloria, played by America Ferrera, delivers a powerful monologue about the impossible expectations placed upon women.
It begins with a simple but devastating observation:
“It is literally impossible to be a woman.”
And then come all the contradictions so many of us know by heart.
Be ambitious, but never intimidating.
Be beautiful, but don’t try too hard.
Be successful, but always remain humble.
Be strong, but never stop taking care of everyone else.
And whatever happens, always be grateful.
I know that list by heart. And so do so many women I know.
I watched that scene, and I cried.
Because it was 2023, and here we are in 2026, still dealing with so many of the same contradictions.
There was something extraordinary about seeing Barbie — a doll so often accused of teaching girls to be pretty and quiet — become part of a story that said exactly the opposite.
Sometimes, the most powerful messages come from the most unexpected places.
Even in Barbieland.
© Photo : Flore Photography – LaFlorette in Ales movie theater to watch Barbie The Movie
04 — WHAT PLAY CAN REPAIR
© Photo : Flore Photography – After the hurricane « Garance »
THIS TIME, I MAKE THE RULES.
But dolls matter to me for another reason. A much more personal one.
I lost my entire childhood Barbie collection in the early 2000s.
My father got rid of it while clearing out the attic after my grandmother’s death, without asking whether I wanted to keep it.
And even before that, there were dolls I wasn’t allowed to play with. My mother decided which ones could be played with and which ones had to remain untouched.
Today, I’m in my forties.
I buy the dolls I want.
I open the boxes I want.
And I play with them whenever I want.
Because now, those decisions are mine.
There is something deeply liberating about rediscovering a passion that was once surrounded by restrictions, and reconnecting with memories I thought were lost.
Sometimes, collecting is about preserving beautiful objects.
Sometimes, it’s about remembering.
And sometimes, it’s about giving something back to the child you used to be.
05 — YES, I PLAY!
AND I’M NOT ASHAMED OF IT.
I don’t collect dolls to speculate on their resale value.
My dolls aren’t simply sitting under plastic, waiting to become more valuable.
I photograph them.
I give them names, personalities, families and friendships.
They fall in love. They get married. They separate. They start again.
Some keep their original identities. Others become entirely new characters, inspired by people I love or born from my imagination.
I create miniature sets, experiment with photography, research doll history and discover the work of incredibly talented designers and artists.
And in the process, I get to do something wonderful:
Build, in 1/6 scale, the world I want to see.
© Photo : Flore Photography – Holidays in Santorini with our mini-me’s
06 — NO ONE IS DECORATIVE
© Photo : Flore Photography – A Christmas party with the Peret Family in Reunion Island
EVERY CHARACTER DESERVES A PLACE IN THE STORY.
My characters are Black, white, mixed-race, Asian, Indigenous and from many different backgrounds.
They are single, married, divorced and remarried.
They are gay, lesbian and straight.
They have careers, ambitions, friendships, complicated families, beautiful love stories and sometimes a little drama.
Because, let’s face it, what’s a fictional Society without a few surprises?
But none of them is there simply to fill a shelf.
They have identities. They make choices. They have stories.
And perhaps that’s one of the most beautiful things about playing as an adult:
Having the freedom to tell the stories you wish the world had told more often.
07 — IT’S NEVER JUST PLAYING
CREATIVITY DOESN’T HAVE AN AGE LIMIT.
Sometimes, we repair something.
Sometimes, we remember.
Sometimes, we tell stories.
And sometimes, we simply create something because it makes us happy.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
I love the research behind collecting. I love the craftsmanship, the photography, the fashion, the miniatures and the extraordinary creativity of the doll community.
I also love the people who have inspired, encouraged and helped me along the way.
Because nobody builds a creative world entirely on their own.
And yes, I approach this passion seriously.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun.
Life is already complicated enough!
Being playful has never prevented anyone from being intelligent, creative or thoughtful.
And I have absolutely no intention of choosing between the two.
© Photo : Flore Photography – My hubie taking shots of our mini-me’s in Santorini
08 — BEYOND THE CLICHÉ
© Photo : Flore Photography – Jungle Fever photoshoot with Berenice in Elne
TODAY, BARBIE REFLECTS A MUCH BIGGER WORLD.
Barbie has come a long way since 1959.
Today, the brand offers dolls representing a remarkable diversity of skin tones, body shapes, abilities and physical characteristics.
There are curvy, petite and tall Barbies.
Dolls with vitiligo, alopecia, prosthetic limbs, hearing aids and medical devices.
Different faces, different bodies and countless ways of expressing individuality.
Of course, there’s still progress to be made. There always is.
But Mattel has listened, evolved and continued to challenge some of the expectations surrounding fashion dolls.
And talented designers such as Bill Greening, Carlyle Nuera and Suim Noh have helped bring new perspectives and creative possibilities to Barbie’s world.
To all those who keep imagining, designing and creating dolls that reflect the world around us:
Thank you for keeping the magic alive.
Because today, Barbie is no longer just one idealised image of a woman.
She can reflect so many of us.
And that is something worth celebrating.
09 — ONE LAST THOUGHT
IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN DOLLS.
It’s about childhood memories.
It’s about representation, creativity and freedom.
It’s about finding inspiration in other people’s work and discovering what you’re capable of creating yourself.
It’s about celebrating imagination without apologizing for it.
And sometimes, it’s about reclaiming a little piece of yourself.
So yes, I collect dolls.
And I intend to keep playing, creating and telling stories for as long as I can.
Welcome to the Club !
