Barbie Ferreira. If you didn’t know who she is, now you do, and you’re welcome. This New York born, 19-year-old has taken the fashion industry by storm and is blowing up conversations about the difficult standards modeling sets for both women and men. As someone who avidly follows fashion, it has been impossible for me to overlook the growing trend of body positivity, and Barbie has significantly contributed to the conversation surrounding this movement.
First things first, you need to get to know Barbie. Honestly, go to her Instagram, and throw her a follow asap — you won’t be disappointed. Secondly, begin to familiarize yourself with what body positivity really means. Barbie helped me understand this through her Body Party initiative with Teen Vogue and when she shook the internet with her Aerie REAL campaign. Lastly, keep reading to find out how Barbie really eats, so you can get some of that body loving lifestyle for yourself.
Eating is meant to make your body happy
Barbie’s healthy relationship with food stems from her upbringing of having a chef as a mother. In part of her Body Party video series, she talks to her mom about how to establish a strong connection with the food we put in our bodies on a daily basis.
This video features her mother angrily responding to people who say that people with bodies like Barbie must eat Taco Bell on a daily basis. Her household, the household Barbie grew up in, didn’t have junk food and featured the healthy versions of traditional Brazilian cuisine.
Barbie and her mom discuss the cultural differences between Brazil and the United States by bringing up the significant disparity in the appreciation of bodies. In Brazil, curves are beautiful and food is meant for health and happiness. Barbie emphasizes how she has lived with that mindset and always eaten a wide variety of food, even in the self-conscious days of her early modeling career.
Indulgence is okay
If someone told me I couldn’t be a model and also eat Reese’s, I’d drop my modeling career in a heartbeat. Thankfully, models like Barbie don’t take that BS and realize that, sometimes, the treat yo self mentality is the only thing that’ll get us through the day.
Barbie’s favorite late night snack is taco truck food. She always gets a steak or a shrimp tostada, burrito, or tacos. Does that sound like the stereotypical model diet to you? No? Well, maybe it should become the new stereotype, and we can leave the questionable kale smoothies in the past.
Indulgence should begin to be thought of more as a celebration than a weakness. Even at the lunch break during shoots, Barbie will eat the chocolate cake they offer for dessert. Not because she’s considered curvy, but because she’s been working hard and that cake is really freakin’ good.
Love your body with food and exercise.
As a curvy model, Barbie has been told that “she’s so lucky she gets paid to eat” or questioned “why are you working out if you love your body?” These comments are reflective of the twisted culture surrounding body image. Working out is a way of loving your body and making yourself feel good—not something that “insecure people do”.
The fact that people voice their opinions regarding other individuals’ bodies and lifestyle choices is, in itself, disturbing, but it’s seemingly unavoidable when we live in the anonymity of the digital age. Barbie acknowledges this and is working on changing the standard of normal and what it means for weight and shape to be tied to happiness.
Empower yourself by empowering others
There always seems to be a reason to be unsatisfied. Personally, I’ve been told that I’m too tall or “should eat a cheeseburger” more times than I can count, while women like Barbie get body shamed in the opposite way.
This lack of satisfaction makes it seem like there is always something wrong with you. However, there is something wrong with our culture. We need a cultural shift where we begin to appreciate each other’s differences and embrace diversity beyond skin tone, weight, and sexual identity.
Celebrate the fact that someone is rocking that funky bikini, and don’t think about how it would look on you. Order a burger and not a salad on a first date. Cheer on the stranger that is dressing for themselves and not for social norms, but above all, take a lesson from Barbie. Always love food, love others, and most importantly, love yourself.