When pictures of the human barbie girl first went viral, we couldn't believe our eyes. The so-called Barbie Girl has decided to become a real-life version of the beloved childhood toy, going to great lengths to achieve the perfect Barbie look. A few years have passed since we've first heard about her - so what is Barbie girl up to nowadays?
Her name is Valeria Lukyanova and she spent all her adult life perfecting her own Barbie doll look, pushing beauty standards to bizarre heights and earning herself the nickname known throughout the world as “The Human Barbie.”
But let’s start at the very beginning of this tale of Barbie doll bliss.
How it All Began?
Valeria Lukynova came from the small eastern European nation of Moldova. As a child there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary about the cute blonde Valeria. She had an affinity for dolls just like every other child.
However, her doll collection was over-the-top. With countless plastic Barbie’s, each with their own wardrobe. What was unique about Valeria is that she seemed more fascinated with the perfect symmetry of her dolls bodies, and their beauty which was almost too perfect than the game or Barbie dolls itself..
As we know, this fascination did not end with her childhood.
Interesting Childhood
She became addicted to looking ‘perfect’ like her dolls. As she reached her teens, she started to experiment more with makeup and liked to recreate herself as her dolls and took great interest in the impeccable symmetry of their bodies.
Lukyanova was born and raised by an average Russian family, and grew up in a seemingly normal environment in Moldova, back then her mother, Irina, worked for the Russian army and her father worked as a builder, who also worked as a disc jockey by night.
Ends meet
While her father worked two seemingly opposite jobs as a builder and a DJ, Lukyanova grew up knowing she could always go in an unconventional direction, she grew up watching her parents struggle to make ends meet and knew she had to earn a living which made her push for something more, something different, something that would later earn her fame .
The stage she went through before her Barbie doll image will surprise everyone.
From Goth to Glam
Prior to her famous modeling lifestyle and the glamorous Barbie doll look, Valeria spent her early teenage years being interested in witchcraft. “I remember, you were asking for my picture when I was 15. I was a Goth for a long time.” Valerie said. She would always dress in a gothic style and had a very dark personality. But she soon grew out of her gloomy ways and turned her attentions to the world of makeup.
High spirits
During her days of Gothic lifestyle and witchcraft, as she says, she was very into what she believed lay within the spiritual world. It was only after her phase as a Goth that she began her transition to look like the living version of the Barbie doll. And although many years have passed since then, Valeria still believes in her high spirituality.
The Transformation Begins
In her late teens and early 20s, Valeria began modeling. Having signed a contract with a modeling agency. Being five feet seven inches tall with a unique beauty made her the perfect candidate to become a successful model. And in 2007, she showcased her beauty in a beauty pageant which had about 300 contestants and won the Miss Diamond Crown of the World, an international beauty pageant. But she wanted to do something bigger and better. Something that will make people notice her.
Real Beauty
She subsequently had multiple photo sessions showcasing her real beauty and interviews published in Russian media, including erotic photos. Many believe even at this time she had begun to have some surgical enhancements.
All Natural? You Decide.
Many people took notice of Lukyanova’s 19-inch tiny waist and therefore suspicions grew that she removed ribs to achieve the look because it was uncommon for someone of her height to maintain such proportions. She accused people of altering older bikini pictures of her to exaggerate her look and make it seem like she underwent body modifications. She denied the claims calling them malicious and proclaimed there was nothing plastic about her.
Valerie's look and image has changed over the years because of the crafted makeup look, contact lenses, and a boob job. She, however, claimed to be totally natural as she attributed her slender frame and looks to her good genes, as well as a strict diet and daily gym routines. Many still did not believe her claim because it all seems not a normal look.
Barbie Look
There’s no denying that Valeria looks dramatically different now to when she was a teen. She insists that the only surgical procedure she’s had is breast implants. She said “I’ve only done my boobs and have always been skinny. The only difference is that now I am more fit. That’s the only difference. In the future, if I require it for my body, then of course. I am not against surgery, but for now, there is nothing I need to do.”
Many people aren’t still convinced that it’s just the makeup and the breast implants that have made her look so different.
A Diet of Air Alone
Valerie follows strict dietary and workout plans, and she stated in several interviews that she deprives herself of food, opting for a liquid and raw vegetarian diet. She also explains that she only allows herself to eat a few hours after exercising and that doesn’t drink water while eating. She would later try another unnatural dietary approach known as Breatherian which means living on water, light and air alone to survive.
Looks alone
To accurately perfect her Barbie figure, Valerie claims her Breatharian lifestyle which ensures she is cutting solid food out of her everyday consumption completely, which gives her a very thin and petite frame, the breast enlargement and the daily gym routines, are all associated to the success of replicating the Barbie figure
Diet Failure
She claimed the Breatharian diet was a failure, but she continues to be resolute about the benefits of the Breatharian lifestyle and says she wants to attempt it again. Talking about her Breatharian lifestyle in an interview she said: “Breatharianism is the belief that it is possible for a person to live without consuming food.
Not necessary?
Breatharians claim that food, and in some cases water, are not necessary for survival and that human can be sustained solely by prana, the vital life force in Hinduism. In recent weeks I have not been hungry at all; I’m hoping it’s the final stage before I can subsist on air and light alone.”
Like Mother Like Daughter
Valerie seems to have inherited her good looks from her mother, Irina Lukyanova, but clearly that wasn’t enough and she transformed into a real-life doll. Valeria does her mother’s makeup to make her look like her in terms of her perfect skin and big eyes. And she said that it was her mother who inspired her to lead an ‘astral’ life. Her mother supports Valeria’s path in life and her notions of being from another planet.
Copycat
And it seems Valerie’s mother, Irina also took on the same lifestyle with her daughter, with the makeup, the blonde platinum hair, and strict diets and the only difference is that Irina appears slightly older. While Irina was inspired by her daughter’s Barbie look, Valerie also was influenced by her mother to embark on a spiritual astral life writing books, doing yoga, and traveling around the world.
A Girl of Many Talents
Asides from her modeling career and transforming herself into the human Barbie doll, Valeria also has talents in writing and singing and she's a very talented opera singer and has even released two albums titled 'Sun in the Eyes' and '2013' under her stage name ‘Astral’. She is also a professional author releasing Astral Travel Amatue the story behind her spiritual experiences.
Opera Singer
She is known mostly for opera songs, she also has romantic, Indian ethnic and even shaman songs to her name. She said of her musical experience and career, she said:
"My repertoire consists of more than 150 songs in different languages. Most of them are in Russian, but there are also songs in forgotten ancient languages that come to me during meditations. I bring vibrations of the higher dimensions into this reality through my voice. Sometimes it seems that it's not me composing these songs but the Supreme Beings are leading me to reach people's hearts,"
The Price Paid for Being ‘Perfect’
People labeled her as an “almost inhuman beauty” who used image editing software and encouraged the objectification of women, and she admits that carrying around such a title of human Barbie can be more than tiring and feels people forget that she is a human being and treat her merely as something not worth admiring.
She's a human
Lukyanova has said in interviews that it often hurts her to be seen as a novelty rather than a living being. While she enjoys the extra attention she gets for her unique looks and Barbie figure, she does not want her identity to depend on these things alone, she admits that it hurts her that she is not being considered a human.
The Attack
In 2014, on Halloween day in Odessa, she was attacked. “I came back home from a shop with bags and entered the door code when two men rushed from the dark and attacked me,” she explained. “It happened in a flash, they hit me on the head, several times on my jaw, then one of them began strangling me.” and she was later saved by her neighbors who heard noise and was immediately rushed to the hospital.
Threats and more
Ever Since Valerie came into limelight about her Barbie figure and thin looks, she has received a different kind of threats and hate mails, and she has openly been mocked and treated with cruelty. But she seems not concerned about the turn of events rather they all made her stronger.
However, the way she reacts to these threats is no less than incredible
No Hard Feelings
Despite all the attacks and threats with all sorts of negative comments about her, Valerie chose not to be bothered as she revealed in an interview “I come from a place where only love and joy exist,” She says.
“But I noticed the media is only interested in negativity: show someone in a bad light, show someone’s mistakes. There are hate blogs and communities about me who post bad pictures about me and try and worsen my mood. Perhaps at some point I was an energy vampire, because I constantly received their negative reactions and enjoyed it. Specifically for them I created posts that would make them angry. But people who think badly of me just aren’t happy in their own lives. When they are happy they will forget about me.”
All about attitude
With all the negative vibes and hatreds she maintains a positive attitude and she has her own beliefs too and announced that she is not human at all, but instead a creature from another planet who has a thing or two to teach clueless humans.
Say what?!
Her Alien Beliefs
In 2013 in the documentary series called “Space Barbie,” Lukyanova told the public that she doesn’t consider herself human and that she hails from Venus. She revealed that though she doesn’t remember much beyond the fact that she originates from Venus, but from a young age she knew she was different because of her hyper awareness and the spiral visions that used to appear before her eyes. She said that her mother drew a chalk circle around her bed to separate her from the world around her.
Who's up there?
Valeria has not only written a book about her experiences and spirituality but gives seminars to alert people on how they can live their best life. Is she doing all this as a money stunt?
Wait and see the most surprising thing of all.
Free Spiritual Guidance
Valerie believes she has something beyond good looks to offer to this world, and she desires to help people get in touch with their spiritual life. She revels so much in her spiritual knowledge that she wrote a book about spirituality called “Astral Travel Amatue” in 2012 that she made available as on her website.
Her Interesting Lifestyle Choices
As part of her lifestyle, she also doesn't believe in having kids and said in an interview “I have chosen a childfree life, because my kids are my disciples. Moreover, I'm basically not adapted to a sedentary lifestyle and motherhood, I constantly travel the world and I'm glad I do not have children”.
Secrets
Valeria has always tried to perfect and teach people on her website her so called art of Astral travelling which is shedding the physical body and exploring the vast cosmos with just a wide open soul. And she believes human beings are capable of escaping our worldly flesh and transcends into another dimension and also that it is possible to open the universe and discover all its secrets.
Whimsical she may be, but read on to understand why she is also haunted by her talents
Haunted
Despite all her theories and Astral spiritual lifestyle, she was haunted by spiral visions that robbed her off sleep because they danced around her, taunting her to the point that she almost went mad.
Mind over matter
Valeria believes spirituality helped her overcome her fears. “Many people think you need only good looks to be successful but that’s not true, only spiritual work can bring tangible results.”
Valerie believes she manipulated the power of the mind to stop the images from haunting her. But at a point she couldn't bear it all and with all the negative comments she was receiving, she felt hurt and sought for help.
But with all this going on inside her own head, there was a time Valeria sought mental health of her own.
Her Visits to the Psychiatrist
The scary visions and insomnia made Valerie question her sanity, so she sought the help of a psychiatrist who could help her out. Surprisingly, the doctor didn’t attempt to prescribe medication or implement intense therapy sessions for her, instead the psychiatrist saw something special about her character.
Needed treatment
The psychiatrist was marveled by her special skills and believed she was a psychic and not haunted. Lukyanova was relieved by finding a group of people to embrace her psychic abilities and share similar beliefs with. It gave her comfort and she felt like she had a purpose.
Bringing Spirituality to the Dance Floor
She's truly a girl of many characters, as she embarked on another new career as a DJ In 2015. Whether she was influenced by her father who use to work part time as DJ or was influence by her spiritual self was unknown. However she was good at it and went on to make “futuristic deep and space disco” tracks.
Music as a cure
Valeria promises not to be just a regular DJ, rather her aim was to bring spirituality through music to her audience. She claimed that her goal is to spread her spiritual knowledge far and wide to receptive audiences who are willing to accept her for who she is and that her ambitions knows no bound .In a statement, she stated She will also "show special signs with her hands and work with a set list that's "arranged in a way that touches all the energy centers while increasing the rhythm and changing the consciousness of the audience."
Her Real-Life Ken
Despite not believing on having children and a follower of the children movement, she believed in love and marriage and married her childhood friend Dmitry Shkrabov a Ukrainian Businessman after a long romance and supportive of Valerie's profession and doll looks and appearances. And when it comes to intimacy the two are proudly in an open relationship and nether the two had issues about it and Valerie has insisted on several times that she doesn't feel the desire to be a mother because there's no such thing in her spiritual world.
With or without
Lukyanova is aware of her husband, Dmitri Shkrabov love for her and often makes reference to it, as she said in an interview “Dmitry is always on my side. He loves and supports me. He likes me with make-up and without. He became a strict vegetarian even earlier than I did. He is fond of mountains, he conquered Mount Elbrus, we were on Everest, went to Nepal and the Himalayan mountain range,”
Her husband meanwhile also talks about his wife with love, posting many pictures of her on his Facebook page with sweet words. Like "This is my pet, my wife Valerie Lukyanova aka Amatue"
What Human Barbie Looks Like Now
After spending so much resources and efforts in achieving her Barbie doll look, she wanted something different, a different look and so she took it on herself to change her diet and workout routine, and the result she got the desired results with more abs and biceps.
Reinventing herself
Valeria got tired of her thin body type and instead wanted a stronger look. She goes to the gym on a daily basis and works on every muscle group she can. She wants to look more like a muscle woman than a Barbie figure. She posted on her social media that, “I no longer like my body. It needs some muscle.”While her new look is less about slimness and more about strength, she has done a great job in bringing out those muscles.
What to make of it all
Valerie Lukyanova believes that perfection has no bounds and limitations and she has enjoyed having different characters. She even went on to feature in a movie and made her debut in a film called 'The Doll’ in 2016, a horror Sci-fi film. Valerie switching between identities can be quite amazing from a normal childhood, to Gothic character, to becoming a human Barbie doll, a spiritual guru, psychic and now a muscle woman.
Interesting life
And it could be due to this interesting lifestyle that made her have a huge fan base with over 30 million views on YouTube, over 1.2 million Facebook fans and 336,565 followers in the Russian social network,VK. She also has two Instagram accounts, operating in Russian and English language each.
What Does The Human Barbie Look Like Now?
Keeping up with Valeria is now easier than ever. On her Instagram page, @valeria_lukyanova21, she regularly posts selfies, motivational videos and spiritual updates for her 804k followers.
Though she's definitely still iconically recognizable, her current look has evolved quite a bit. She seems to be more aesthetically inspired by costumes from Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings.
Barefaced and Natural
She has also evolved in her stance towards makeup and hair, often sharing more barefaced looks for her fans to admire her natural beauty. She has even explicitly shared with her fans that she much prefers a natural look nowadays, and that can be seen. Even when she does wear makeup, the model opts for much softer options than she did at the beginning of her career.
She currently describes herself as a "Metaphysician, medium, writer, lecturer, mason, Cantante opera ambient". In the years that have passed since she first rose to fame, she has been producing spiritual webinars and has founded her very own cosmetics line.
Still Spiritual And Musical
Her online content is still heavily spiritual and she often shares little clips discussing her philosophy in Russian. She's now a vegetarian and follows a special nutrition system.
