LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — There is perhaps no one in the valley who is more excited for the new Barbie movie than Kayla Lavende.
She moved to Las Vegas from Australia years ago to design costumes, props, and sets for a show on the strip at the time. It was Barbie that inspired her love for designing at a young age. She has closets full of clothes that resemble the doll's iconic outfits. She's got nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram, even becoming known as a sort of real-life Barbie here in Vegas.
"Barbie taught me how to imagine at such a young age. For me, the sky was always the limit. You could be anything with Barbie. I always just wanted to live that big, bright fun life," Lavende said.
As a young girl, she began making her own clothes, not just to express her creativity, but also out of necessity, because she couldn't find the kind of vibrant clothes Barbie wears in her size.
"I would just buy whatever basic black pants from the ladies' section and then I would start bedazzling my own things and putting bows, that kind of thing," she said.
Her Instagram name used to be "Plus-size Aussie Barbie," but these days, her handle is @wls_barbie, which stands for "Weight Loss Barbie." Lavende started her weight loss journey in 2018, and she's since dropped about 200 pounds. She said she did it for health reasons because her weight was starting to dull her sparkle and her ability to do everyday things.
"I reached almost 350 pounds, but I had always been that bright, vibrant plus-sized girl. I always had that Barbie style, but my weight started to affect my lifestyle," she said.
She emphasizes, that she's always felt like Barbie, no matter her size.
"I never looked at Barbie and thought, 'she's skinny, I want to look like her,'" she said. She just wanted to live life to the fullest, and her weight had been holding her back.
She said Barbie isn't as much of a look, as it is a mindset.
"I have always felt like I was a Barbie. Even at 350 pounds, I rocked my Barbie style. I had achieved every goal I wanted, moving to America, having my dream job, even at 350 pounds. And there is nothing I did not accomplish and that was because Barbie taught me to dream big. It doesn't matter what size you are. It doesn't matter what you look like. Barbie can inspire you," she said.
She adds, she's thrilled that more kids can see themselves in Barbie nowadays, with the iconic brand diversifying and now offering dolls of different nationalities and abilities. She said the new Barbie movie reflects that, and is something everyone can enjoy, whether you're a lifelong fan of the brand or not.
"There is a little bit of Barbie in all of us," she said.
