In the Alemão favela complex in Rio de Janeiro, moviegoers ventured to watch the latest Barbie film and unexpectedly came across a local figure affectionately referred to as the “Black Barbie of the Complexo do Alemão.”
Anne Beatriz dos Santos, recognized by the alias Anne Belize, has become an inspiration for young girls to embrace their identity by portraying a Black Barbie. Her actions aim to counter the perception that the iconic dolls are exclusively depicted with fair skin and straight hair.
Through diligent efforts, Anne’s mother, Vanessa, managed to locate a Black Barbie doll after an extensive search. This unique discovery became a meaningful birthday gift for Anne, accompanied by a tailor-made dress resembling the attire of her newfound doll.
_“As she was born I saw the need of her to accept herself. When I was younger I wanted to be white, to change my hair because I didn’t see myself represented, I thought that beauty only existed with light skin. So I saw the need to pass this to her so she could love herself the way she is,”_expressed Vanessa dos Santos, Anne’s mother.
Vanessa took some photos of her daughter in the favela and was so pleased with the results that she made a Barbie-themed notebook cover for Anne.
At school, it became popular right away, and friends urged her to make more covers.
Anne wants to be a model and actor to empower other girls and has a developing social media following.
“I’m very happy that some mothers send messages to me saying that their children are accepting their hair, are allowing them to be full because they saw me on social media. Some friends of mine are also accepting their full hair, I’m very happy with that,” she said.
With around 1.2 million viewers on opening day, the Barbie movie has the second-largest opening day audience in Brazil since 2014.