Mum adds stretch marks to daughter’s Barbie with nail varnish to normalise ‘tiger stripes’

‘We’re really open with our daughter about the ways bodies are different’ (Picture: Jam Press)

A mum has drawn stretch marks on one of her daughter’s favourite Barbie dolls in a bid to teach a lesson in body positivity.

Kate Claxton, a children’s book author and former marketing manager, wanted to elevate her three-year-old’s Barbie after she noticed her daughter was getting ‘SO into dolls’.

Sharing a video of her creation on Instagram, the mum wrote: ‘[She] is SO into dolls and getting them dressed and undressed at the moment that it was important for me to make some modifications to this gal and give her the stripes so many of us cover up.

‘Let’s take what makes us different and instead of trying to hide, let’s be more like animals and wear our marks with pride.’

‘We’re really open with our daughter about the ways bodies are different and I’m keen for her toys and books to reflect this,’ the 35-year-old said on the subject.

‘She loves Barbies and while we do have a diverse mix of dolls, there were none with stretch marks, so I decided to decorate my own.

‘We’d had a long day of crafts and play to avoid the rain and I needed the chill time.

‘Once she’d gone to bed, I spent maybe an hour or less making the marks with nail varnish, actually.

‘It dried quickly, and I put the Barbie’s vet outfit back on to go in the toy box ready for the morning.

‘I bought a new doll to do this with, just in case I got told off for marking a favourite.’

Author Kate said she was inspired to make these alterations by her own children’s book, My Mum’s a Tiger.

‘We’d had a long day of crafts and play to avoid the rain and I needed the chill time’ (Picture: Courtesy Kate Claxton / SWNS)

She’s hopeing this creation of hers may even inspire Mattel, the company that makes Barbie dolls, to roll out something similar.

She said: ‘I hate that new mums in particular are faced with the negativity around skin and body changes at a time when hormones and sleep and responsibilities are all over the place.

‘People have loved the reel on Instagram and lots of people are asking how I did it – I hope that means there will be lots more DIY dolls popping up in toy boxes.

‘I hate that new mums in particular are faced with the negativity around skin and body changes’ (Picture: Courtesy Kate Claxton / SWNS)

‘I’d love if Barbie could bring out their own permanently-marked version to show children it’s normal and nothing to be worried about.’

Even though she tries to teach her daughter body positivity, Kate still worries about her future.

Kate with her daughter as a baby (Picture: Courtesy Kate Claxton / SWNS)

She said: ‘I don’t force it on her, but if she ever has questions about bodies, or if I notice her watching or playing with something that allows us to bring it up naturally, I’ll always do my best to make it normal.

‘I think representation is getting much better, but you have to seek these things out for yourself a lot of the time.

‘I do worry for my daughter heading into a world that still judges girls on how they look and pits them against each other.’

The doll has garnered a lot of attention and praise online, with one comment reading: ‘Love this! Just genius!’

‘I have SO much love for this and totally agree that @‌barbie should add them to some of their dolls,’ said someone else, tagging the brand.

Another person wrote: ‘I am one of those who are guilty of hiding my stretch marks but your wonderful book and posts always remind me of why I’ve got those tiger stripes.’

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‘We’re really open with our daughter about the ways bodies are different.’