Laverne Cox Played With Barbies in Her Thirties on the Advice of Her Therapist
Laverne Cox’s mark in entertainment is far-reaching. Not only is she a great actor, but she is also an advocate for transgender individuals across the globe. However, before she could get to where she is today, Cox had to fight stereotypes to make her name in Hollywood and society. The Inventing Anna star recently revealed that her therapist advised her to play with Barbie dolls in her thirties.
Laverne Cox played with Barbies in her thirties for a meaningful reason
The Orange Is the New Black star was born in 1972 in Mobile, Alabama. One half of a set of twins, Cox was raised by a single mother within the AME Zion church. The actor said she tried to unalive herself when she was 11 years old after noticing she was developing feelings for her male classmates.
The now-50-year-old also revealed that she was bullied severely for not acting how “someone assigned male at birth was supposed to act.” Cox graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, Alabama, studying creative writing before switching to dance. She also studied at Indiana University Bloomington and Marymount Manhattan College.
Growing up as a young boy confined Cox to what many expected of males. She, therefore, wasn’t allowed to do so many things that she can now do as a woman. In a Marie Claire interview, the actor recalled not being allowed to play with the popular Barbie dolls when she was a child, as typically those were reserved for girls.
However, she said going to therapy helped her get past several issues. Upon her therapist’s advice, she embraced her “lost” childhood. Cox said, “When I was in my thirties, I was in therapy, and my therapist reminded me that it’s never too late to have a childhood and that I should go out and buy myself Barbies and play with them as a way to heal my inner child and heal my childhood trauma. So I did.”
Laverne Cox made history with her Barbie doll
Cox has been a trailblazer in the transgender community. Her Emmy nomination made her the first trans person to receive the award. She also became the first trans person to have a wax figure. Recently, Cox became the first trans person to receive a Barbie made in her image.
The Barbie is part of Mattel’s Tribute Collection that sees her joining other notable people to have their own effigies. Mattel announced they would introduce the first gender-neutral dolls in 2019. However, the gender-neutral dolls weren’t made in anyone’s likeness meaning Cox’s own Barbie has helped the star make history yet again.
Speaking of the honor, the actor said, “It feels kind of surreal. Like I’m going to wake up from a dream.” Cox explained that she saw the doll and was also at the design center, and even though it was real, she had a tough time believing it. The actor called the doll an “incredible honor.”
Celebrities who have also had Barbie dolls made for them
Marilyn Monroe perhaps has the most Barbie dolls made in her likeness. The singer has had the dolls made after some of her most iconic moments, including roles in The Seven-Year Itch, where her dress famously got blown by the wind, and in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Beyoncé got a Barbie doll in 2005 to honor her Destiny Child’s era. For the Shero campaign, director Ava Duvernay got her own lookalike doll which sold out within minutes.
Zendaya’s Oscar’s dreadlocked hairstyle may have gotten racist comments from Giuliana Rancic, but Mattel thought it was a great look to make a Barbie doll with the same hair she got ridiculed for.
