Meet the ‘real life Barbie’ who models her clothes, car and ‘DreamHouse’ on the iconic doll – but worries her obsession will put Mr Right off. Katie Loveday, 18, has dressed in all pink for as long as she can remember – and had a big collection of around 100 Barbie and Bratz dolls. But she stopped wearing her favourite colour in secondary school – after feeling pressure to dress like her friends and classmates. She went back to her staple style once she left school in 2020 – now, she feels more like herself, but is worried her extreme look will shock potential partners. Katie, who is self-employed and runs her own clothing business, from Sleaford, Lincolnshire, said: “Since I can remember, I’ve always had loads of Barbies. “I always got them as presents for birthdays – and Bratz dolls too. “I had all the limited edition dolls – like the Dream Wedding Barbie and the one which came with the pink car. I dressed them up in all pink. “Mum noticed my obsession and would always buy me pink clothes, as she loves it, too.” Katie’s mum, Alison, 55, loves baby pink and has kitted her house out in lots of pink decor. “My mum is very bling and sparkly,” Katie added. “She has a baby pink style, whereas I love all shades of pink. “We’re a very fashion oriented family – and she loves to sew and crochet, just the same as me.” Having dressed up in all pink since she was a toddler, Katie’s style began to change in year seven. Katie said: “I wanted to copy everyone else a bit – my style became very basic and very plain. “I was wearing plain white t-shirts, white shoes and skinny jeans all the time. “I felt very insecure in those outfits – and I couldn’t understand why. “Once I’d finished school and become a more independent person, I realised I didn’t actually look good in any of those clothes – I was just wearing what I thought other people wanted me to wear.” Throughout lockdown in 2020, Katie confesses her love for pink became an ‘addiction’. She said: “I remember in lockdown I had so much time on my hands, I just felt like I wanted to start expressing myself more. “Even adding the smallest accents of pink to my make up – my confidence grew and I felt so much more like myself. “I’d got my individuality back.” Now, Katie spends “a good chunk” of her pay check on pink clothes every month – and refuses to wear anything that isn’t a shade of the colour. “If I’m out shopping my eyes just naturally draw to pink things – there’s no point trying to wear anything else,” she said. “I shop online for new bits every single day – I have ‘new collection’ alerts on so many of my apps and have even managed to adjust it so it’s only pink clothing. “Then, when I’ve worn the outfits a few times, I usually just sell them on my Depop and buy more.” Despite re-discovering her unique style, Katie worries her look will scare dates off. She said: “I just expect people I’m dating to walk into my room and think the all-pink is too much. “I worry most people also want a partner who dresses more chill – while I base my entire look on the Barbies of my childhood.” The interior of Katie’s car, her bedroom and all her home decor are covered in pink – and thanks to the upcoming Barbie film – she’s looking to paint the outside of her blue car entirely pink. She added: “I need the pink car so badly – all the covers and interiors in my car are pink – but I’m definitely going to be painting the whole thing in the future. “I’m not even a film person, but I’m so excited for Barbie to come out. Childhood me would go absolutely crazy seeing her style represented onscreen. “I just know when I watch it, I’ll be like: ‘I need that outfit’. I’m already trying to find a dupe for those pink shoes.”
