-diversity
-research
-speculative
-gender identity
Barbie Alteration Organisation (BAO)
In this speculative project, we propose to open a new division within Mattel’s factory. A new production line to introduce a more diverse Barbie doll collection to the young generation.
We used Mattel’s factory that produces Barbie to speculate on a fictional department where we challenge and counter the design and the ethical issues that are around this doll. By questioning what a Barbie could or should look like, we propose a factory line where Barbie can be altered freely and explore the question of what does it mean to be diverse in this post-modern society?
Constructing an division where we could discuss the possibilities of different image types. Where binary opposition concepts, such as "normal" "abnormal" can be discarded and transformed to a third-order (a mixture that sits between these two interpretations) to achieve an environment where abnormal can be the new normality.
![]()
Inspired by <Are clothes modern?> an essay written by Bernard Rudofsky, where he examined the history of our body accessories, such as how clothes can link to ancient desires for bodily decoration, and the construction of our Western mainstream fashion style is built on the capitalist contortions of consumerism. He then made the statement "the clothes we wear today are anachronistic, irrational and harmful.” He also made four plastic figures to showcase how our body would be deformed to fit into the clothes of the four fashion periods.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
More information on Rudofsky’s essay and exhibition click on here
We wish to interrogate the pre-established common beauty sense that Barbie dolls partly constituted its structure, and propose action to liberate people from the fixed notion of a so-called “normal body” where a section of the factory will be exploring the possible body image by randomly mixing different types of body forms.
In this section of the factory, we adopt the radical mindset to explore diversity and break the confines of what is known as socially acceptable. Many body parts of Barbie from the torso, arm, leg, neck....etc will be made differently and sent to the assembly line, the worker will then randomly put it on the main body of Barbie, so almost no Barbie will be the same.
![]()
![]()
With the broad range of body types that are being created, I wish to hyper-normalize and break down the pre-existing traditional stereotype of what a normal body should look like.
With thousands of different Barbie dolls that are being made and distributed to the world, the spectrum of the body type is becoming stretched, and by adding this section in their factory, Mattel can be the new standard for the young generation to understand diversity.
![]()
-research
-speculative
-gender identity
Barbie Alteration Organisation (BAO)
In this speculative project, we propose to open a new division within Mattel’s factory. A new production line to introduce a more diverse Barbie doll collection to the young generation.
We used Mattel’s factory that produces Barbie to speculate on a fictional department where we challenge and counter the design and the ethical issues that are around this doll. By questioning what a Barbie could or should look like, we propose a factory line where Barbie can be altered freely and explore the question of what does it mean to be diverse in this post-modern society?
Constructing an division where we could discuss the possibilities of different image types. Where binary opposition concepts, such as "normal" "abnormal" can be discarded and transformed to a third-order (a mixture that sits between these two interpretations) to achieve an environment where abnormal can be the new normality.
Inspired by <Are clothes modern?> an essay written by Bernard Rudofsky, where he examined the history of our body accessories, such as how clothes can link to ancient desires for bodily decoration, and the construction of our Western mainstream fashion style is built on the capitalist contortions of consumerism. He then made the statement "the clothes we wear today are anachronistic, irrational and harmful.” He also made four plastic figures to showcase how our body would be deformed to fit into the clothes of the four fashion periods.
More information on Rudofsky’s essay and exhibition click on here
We wish to interrogate the pre-established common beauty sense that Barbie dolls partly constituted its structure, and propose action to liberate people from the fixed notion of a so-called “normal body” where a section of the factory will be exploring the possible body image by randomly mixing different types of body forms.
In this section of the factory, we adopt the radical mindset to explore diversity and break the confines of what is known as socially acceptable. Many body parts of Barbie from the torso, arm, leg, neck....etc will be made differently and sent to the assembly line, the worker will then randomly put it on the main body of Barbie, so almost no Barbie will be the same.
With the broad range of body types that are being created, I wish to hyper-normalize and break down the pre-existing traditional stereotype of what a normal body should look like.
With thousands of different Barbie dolls that are being made and distributed to the world, the spectrum of the body type is becoming stretched, and by adding this section in their factory, Mattel can be the new standard for the young generation to understand diversity.
