The Bizarre Story Behind The Real-Life Barbie And Ken — And Why They Became Dolls

By All That’s Interesting | Edited By Jaclyn Anglis

Valeria Lukyanova and Justin Jedlica have spent untold dollars to look like real-life Barbie And Ken dolls — and they’ve caused plenty of controversy along the way.

Like it or not, Barbie and Ken’s exaggerated proportions have shaped popular conceptions of physical beauty for decades. This has led some to go to extreme lengths to turn themselves into human dolls — or even the real-life Barbie and Ken. Two such people are Valeria Lukyanova and Justin Jedlica.

Though they’re famous for looking like the doll couple, they’re far from the picture-perfect pair In fact, with their opposing personalities, the real-life Ken and Barbie actually have an ongoing feud.

The Human Barbie: Valeria Lukyanova

The woman who the press has dubbed the “human Barbie” was born on August 23, 1985, in Tiraspol, Moldova — a mostly forgotten remnant of the Soviet Union. Valeria Lukyanova is currently a Ukrainian model and uses her appearance to promote her ideas about spirituality and mysticism.

Valeria may resemble a doll more than an actual human, but she claims she never set out to look like the iconic blonde Barbie. Instead, she simply wants to look beautiful, feminine, and refined. It just so happens that’s the image that dolls are made in, too. However, she admits to loving Barbie as a child.

You may think that plastic surgery and cosmetic enhancement are a large part of Valeria’s signature look, but she claims to have only had breast augmentation. She rails against people who spread rumors that she’s had her ribs removed in order to achieve her impossibly tiny waistline.