Barbies in The Boudoir

Once upon a time, Judy Christensen kept her little secret hidden away behind glass cases in her bedroom.

Blue-eyed and blank-faced, they had flowing blonde locks, elaborate gowns and an ever-perky bust.

“My ex-husband used to say, ‘I bet they get out and dance at night while you’re asleep’,” Judy says, with a giggle.

Going to sleep under the gaze of sixty Barbie dolls is something to boast about when you’re 8, but as a full-fledged adult, it may come as a slight shock to others.

For decades, Judy was secretive about her collection but then came her official outing.

Approached to show her collection of dolls at the Mount Gambier City Hall in 2015, Judy was hesitant, believing she’d be mocked.

Her embarrassment grew further when the local paper ran a photograph of Judy with her ‘girls’.

“I was working in hospital in theatre at the time and copped a fair bit of stick from my colleagues,” she recalls.

Finally, it was a leggy Australian showgirl that blazed the way for Judy’s change of heart.

“I found out the dancer Rhonda Burchmore had a collection of 200 Barbies. I remember thinking, ‘if she can do it, why can’t I’?”

These days, she’s proud to show off her girls, including Peaches and Cream, Grace Kelly, Holiday Barbie and of course, Barbie and her Rocker friends. 

A late starter, Judy got her first - Nurse Barbie, complete with heels and a hot water bottle, when she was in her late teens and studying to be a nurse herself.

Then a very special pair of dolls came along, two daughters born 13 months apart.

“Every time I bought a Barbie for them, I bought one for myself,” she says. “My girls loved them and so did I. I’d troll for them at Target and K-mart and pick up all the new ones that were coming out.”

Although the appeal for her daughters was make believe games and stripping off dresses to peer underneath, Judy just adored the look of the dolls.  

“It was fashion in such a small package,” she says.

For Judy, it was all about the exquisitely detailed costumes, ballgowns and little black dresses in miniature, with all the trimmings and accessories.

Pressed to name a favourite, Judy confesses Peaches and Cream Barbie, with her elaborate golden gown, stole and piled up hair, is a lady close to her heart.

“As pretty a peach blossom!” states the original 1984 advertising and the doll is one of the most sought after by collectors.

The modern Barbie range now includes dolls with tattoos, curvier figures and come in a range of skin tones.

You can even buy gender neutral Barbies with switchable hair.

Will the new Barbie resonate with today’s girls?

It’s the original Barbies, with their ludicrous dimensions and over-the-top glamour, who steal the show for Judy.

“If you wait long enough, they will come back into fashion.”

“I used to find the original bodies a laugh as they’re so extreme. Their boobs aren’t quite as big these days.”