Barbara
Nastasia Remsha
The Barbara project is a satirical parody of the Barbie doll that reimagines the iconic character through a Eastern European lens to explore themes of simulacra and constructed identity. Just as Barbie has long been criticized for promoting unrealistic and often exclusionary Western beauty standards, The Barbara Doll mirrors this dynamic by exaggerating Eastern European ideals—transforming them into a hyper-stylized, almost theatrical form. In doing so, Barbara critiques how beauty standards—whether Western or Eastern—are manufactured, performed, and consumed, blurring the line between authenticity and imitation in a way that echoes Baudrillard’s concept of simulation.