When I was in kindergarten, I was a tomboy, dreaming of skateboarding with the surfers. I wanted a pair of Vans, but they were hard to come by then. For some reason, I also wanted a Barbie doll. Maybe because the other girls had them.
Due to her feminist convictions, my mom wouldn’t buy me a Barbie. No matter how many times I asked her, she wouldn’t budge. When I finally got one, it was naked. I don’t remember how I got it. I must have stolen her from one of the girls.
I’m pretty sure I took my Barbie’s clothes off, too. I wanted to hide her identity. Barbies, if you’ll recall, are only identifiable by their clothing. Underneath, they all look the same.
Photographed in the Piazza Repubblica neighborhood, Torino. July 2011.
