Real-life Barbies

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Young teenage girls are finding fame on the internet for resembling living dolls.

Venus Angelic (real name, Venus Palermo) has gained a mass following, with over 28 000 people subscribing to her YouTube tutorials that demonstrate how through make up, hairstyles and contact lenses, girls can look like real life dolls.

According to The Huffington Post, the 15-year-old has been dressing up this way for the past 2 years, having been inspired by anime culture after living in Japan.

"I don't think that I will ever stop. I think I will grow in my style and just keep doing what I love," Angelic said.

Similarly, Dakota Rose (known as Kota Koti to her fans) has found fame particularly across Asia. With over 13 million video views, the doe-eyed, long-haired teenager also shows how girls can mimic her doll-appearance.

While both girls boast large numbers of fans, experts are warning against the dangers of what is known as Barbie Doll Syndrome - where adolescent girls strive to attain the impossible standards of beauty that are projected by dolls - and the issue of encouraging the sexualisation of children.

Bolivian newspaper Opinion.com.bo advocated a similar idea, saying "Thousands of girls around the world have shown interest in this girl [Dakota Rose], wanting to look like her. It is a great risk that girls are being influenced in this way."

Although the trend appears to be a new global phenomenon, Japan has been reported to have been embracing the trend as early as 2010, with then 19-year-old Naoko Kamijiyo telling the New York Times, "I'm no great beauty, but I love to be made up. I want to change myself, to be unrecognisable. Who wants to go through life just being themselves?"

What do you think of this new online trend? Do you think it puts dangerous aspirations in the minds of young girls about body image?

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