As an unofficial, I’m-completely-making-this-up tribute to Aqua’s kitsch classic “Barbie Girl,” which came out 15 years ago, women in the Ukraine have been turning themselves into, to quote Forbes, “living dolls.” One of the movement’s unofficial spokesperson is 19-year-old Anastasiya Shpagina, who goes by “Anime” due to her appearance that would likely cause a sticky riot at any comic convention.
Anime transformed herself into an anime character and never leaves the house without makeup. Applying the makeup takes Anime a few hours to accomplish so she wakes up at 5 a.m. to make it to work on time. When she walks down the street in a fairy-like outfit, with long purplish hair, looking at the world with her raccoon-like eyes, it doesn’t go unnoticed. “I don’t pay attention to reactions, the most important thing for me is my comfort,” Anime said during a talk show on a Ukrainian TV channel. (Via)
Here’s the aforementioned talk show.
I am now fascinated by Ukrainian talk shows. This one looks like the studio doubles as a brightly lit community center pool, and despite not knowing what the hell anyone is saying, I understand enough to know that the two kids in the punk t-shirts are wonderfully out of place.
As for the trend itself — Forbes notes that Anime “subsists almost entirely on honey-dew” — it can only end in one of two ways: like the Twilight Zone episode, “The Living Doll,” and Anime & Co. kill everyone, or the series finale of Small Wonder, and like V.I.C.I., Anime & Co. kill everyone. (I think that’s how Small Wonder ended.) So, either way, humanity is doomed, except for the equally terrifying Real-Life Ken. He’ll be fine.
