19-year-old curve model Barbie Ferreira doesn’t shy away from discussing current events. She’s especially outspoken when it comes to matters of social justice and identity. When Leslie Jones couldn’t find a designer to outfit her for her Ghostbusters premiere, Ferreira took to Twitter to lament the unfairness of Jones’ plight. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Ferreira posted a screenshot of a Native American woman proclaiming, “F*ck Christopher Columbus.” Day in and day out, Barbie celebrates her professional successes (often via selfie) while repeatedly calling out the fashion industry for its double standards. She expresses herself with wit and candor and we, along with her 353K Instagram followers, can’t get enough.
Which is why we were psyched to see that Teen Vogue #blessed the model with her own mini video series entitled “Body Party.”
In the first episode, Barbie invites her friends (among them transgender model Torraine Futurum, who walked for Gypsy Sport this past New York Fashion Week) to pose in an inclusive bikini shoot, talk body acceptance and, of course, goof around.
“Looking at magazines and being someone who wanted to act as a kid, I was very much influenced by things I saw,” Ferreira shares in the video. “So, I think due to the lack of representation I was insecure, definitely. I had a lot of difficulty growing up in a society where everything is very closed-minded, especially with beauty.”
In episode two, Barbie’s mom — a professional chef — teaches her daughter to cook a traditional Brazilian stew. Through this lens, Barbie discusses the misperception that plus models eat whatever they want and don’t look after their health. Disclaimer: Watch during — or directly before — your lunch break.
In episode three, Barbie and some more of her curve model friends (Jordyn Woods makes an appearance) vent about the “sh*t they’re so sick of hearing.” Offending phrases include, but are not limited to, “Oh my God, you’re so lucky, you get paid to eat!” and “Why are you working out if you love your body?”
Teen Vogue will be posting one Barbie-filled episode per day for the remainder of the week, but in case you’re too busy brunching to watch, the overarching message of the series is, as Ferreira puts it: “You have you and your body. It’s there to fight off sicknesses. It’s there to move you to work, to go have fun and see your friends. It’s like, what are you going to do? You’re going to have this body for the rest of your life. You’re going to be miserable for the rest of your life? You’re going to let these people take your worth from you because of the way you look? It’s just meaningless. There’s so much more to life than how you look.”
[ via Mic, Teen Vogue ]
