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Credit: Hayden Wood Photography

You may be thinking that you're looking at brand new Barbie and Ken plastic dolls, when in fact, they're real people you're seeing in these photos.

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Amidst the "living doll" phenomenon where more girls are taking to the Internet to demonstrate how they use make-up to mimic the look of dolls, Vancouver-based photographer Hayden Wood has taken the concept to a whole new level.

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His collection of photos, aptly called the Living Doll series, features models James Web and Megan Therese Squire posing in robotic positions. Wood then used Photoshop to digitally manipulate their bodies - enlarging their eyes and slimming their limbs - so they appear as Mattel's very own Barbie and Ken.

Credit: Hayden Wood Photography

While the New Zealander native knew "there was more to photography, than just capturing moments in time," the actual concept of the series was the creative idea of "Barbie" model in the photographs, Megan Therese Squire.

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Squire, who also specialises in fashion and design, is said to have approached Wood after being inspired by the cover art of popstar Nicki Minaj's latest album cover 'Pink Friday'.

Credit: Hayden Wood Photography

The series of photographs raises question as to whether this is an example of clever retouching or another dangerous campaign that promotes unrealistic body image.

It follows the advent of the "living doll" phenomenon amongst teenage girls earlier this year, with Venus Angelic (Palermo) gaining a mass following on YouTube with over 28 000 subscribers to her video tutorials that demonstrate how girls can use make-up, wigs and even coloured contact lenses to look like real life dolls.

Tell us what you think - is this series of photographs clever or dangerous?