Rescued dolls get natural makeovers

If there’s one thing that most dolls do well these days, it is perpetuating unhealthy even borderline dangerous standards of what represents female beauty. We’ve all seen them—Barbies with outlandish vital stats, and dolls with a quantum of makeup that could make even Kim Kardashian blush. Mim Hammonds feels strongly about this and has been doing her bit to roll back this reality—she ‘rescues’ and upcycles discarded dolls, imparting to them a more realistic and child-friendly representation of physical beauty. Upcycling is the process of re-doing used objects to make them better.

She doesn’t just clean the dolls, she transforms them by repainting their faces to give them more natural features, and adding a pleasing innocence by stripping away the accentuated makeup and overly-large eyes that is de facto standard these days. The result? Simple yet beautiful playthings that kids are far likelier to gravitate toward. It is clear in the before and after of her creations —the results are spectacular and truly a breath of fresh air. Along with each of her transformations she also attaches an evocative back story that ascribes a personality to each of her creations, complete with ‘traits’, hobbies and strengths. One is a clever and vivacious young girl who is a quick thinker and loves to play with words, another loves flowers and gardening, while a third wants to study paediatric art therapy and work with sick children in hospitals. There are more details on her Facebook page, with information on her other projects.