A Look Into the Bizarre Life of the 'Human Barbie'

Melina Papadopoulos / OMG! July 13, 2017

1. Before She Became 'Barbie'

Although she now resides in the Ukraine, Valeria Lukyanova originally hailed from the small eastern European nation of Moldova. She had the usual childhood affinity for dolls.

In fact, her doll collection was inexhaustible, each plastic girl flaunting her own stylish wardrobe. Unlike most girls, however, Lukyanova did not simply play house with her dolls and marry them off to random action figures. She took great interest in the impeccable symmetry of their bodies.

2. Growing Up Normal

Valeria Lukyanova grew up in a seemingly normal environment in Moldova, back when it was still a part of the USSR. Her mother, Irina, worked for the Russian army and her father Valery was a builder who also moonlighted as a DJ. She was a beautiful little girl who eventually grew to be a beautiful young woman. This fascination, of course, never faded with her childhood.

Did Lukyanova’s parents know there was something different about their beautiful daughter? Did they get a sense of things to come when she played with her beloved Barbie dolls growing up? Read on to find out ...

3. Life-Changing Decisions

Since her father worked 2 seemingly opposite jobs as a both a builder and a DJ, Lukyanova grew up knowing she could always go in non-conventional directions as you will soon see.

Knowing she could do anything she wanted, when things started to heat up between Russia and the Ukraine in 2014, Lukyanova decided to move someplace far away to escape the war. She then decided on a pretty unusual destination – Mexico! Would her unexpected choice of location make her unusual career choice easier?

4. Not Like Her Parents

Lukyanova grew up watching her parents struggle to put food on the table. As mentioned before, her father had to take up 2 jobs while her mother worked hard to support Valeria and her sister. Perhaps that was when young Valeria Lukyanova realized she didn’t want to be anything like her parents. She won’t have a normal mundane job like them. She was going to be different.

With that in mind, she began to think of new ways to earn a living. Being a naturally beautiful young woman, some harmless modeling was an easy choice. Or was it?

5. Before Her Transformation

Lukyanova did not just one day morph into a beautiful human Barbie. Before her transformation, she could still turn heads even without her intricate makeup and extreme proportions.

In 2007, she earned the title of Miss Diamond Crown of the World. Although she might have had some surgical enhancements then, she still had fairly commonplace features. Full lips remained in an impeccable pout. Lovely dark eyes framed by long lashes. Smooth and straight blonde hair. Little did anyone know that her childhood hobby would manifest itself in her appearance and morph into an obsession.

6. The Transformation Begins

Originally, Lukyanova denied getting any physical enhancements done. However, becoming a flawless human Barbie doll meant she needed to have prefect proportions. And those require work!

Allegedly, she started off with getting breast implants. Liking the new her, Lukyanova moved on to take even more drastic measures. But what was she going to do?

7. Her Body’s ‘Natural Shape’

For a while, Lukyanova refused to acknowledge that her body had been altered in any way. According to her, her figure was a miraculous product of great genes and a vigorous diet and exercise regimens.

Still, people remained skeptical. A 19-inch waist is not usually biologically possible for someone of her height and proportions, some argued. Even the World’s most celebrated supermodels cannot claim waists that small. So how is her figure possible? It became increasingly clear that Lukyanova had undergone some sort of major surgery.

8. Molding Her Body

Usually, a person who is too thin will have a ribs that juts out noticeably. According to some skeptics, Lukyanova has achieved a new level of thinness because she had several of her ribs extracted completely.

To prove it, critics point right to her bikini pictures which reveal what is supposed to be anatomically impossible. Large breasts with no upper ribs to support them and a waist that disappears inward until diverging into two bountiful hips. But while this figure may not be natural, it is only fair to give credit where credit is due: maintaining such an enviable body cannot be easy. So how does she do it? Her methods will probably shock you.

9. An Exercise in Discipline

Lukyanova has stated in some interviews (perhaps even with an air of pride) that she eats very little. What she does eat tends to come in liquidform. Additionally, she is very selective about when she allows herself to eat.

Working out is a big part of Lukyanova’s equation for bodily perfection. In fact, she even forces herself to wait several hours after exercising before even considering eating or drinking. She also does not allow herself any water while she eats. This lifestyle may sound extreme as it is. But believe it or not, she took it even further. What Lukyanova tried to do next was even more extreme and even more dangerous.

10. Living on the Air

Many supermodels follow strict diets. They will exclude those notorious foods often accused of plumping up thighs, bloating bellies, and causing fiery breakouts: sugar, carbs, meat, etc. But Lukyanova went beyond even this level of strictness.

For some time, she attempted to live as a "breatharian". Which is exactly what it sounds like. Lukyanova tried to survive by living off nothing but sunshine and air. Unsurprisingly, it did not quite work out as planned. Still, she says she wants to attempt it again. The claim is not so outlandish when you consider some of the other strange things this 'human Barbie' has said.

11. Opposed to the Light

One essential part of the breatharian’s restrictive diet is sunlight. After all, very few organisms can sit in the dark and take in the surrounding air. Nonetheless, Lukyanova allegedly managed to subsist off air alone.

Those pictures you see of her lounging on a sandy beach exposing her delicate skin to the Sun’s rays? That’s all for show, claims Lukyanova. She actually tries to avoid daylight as much as possible, as she is not exactly going for a tan look. She prefers her smooth fair skin.

12. All Natural -- Almost

Lukyanova steadfastly claimed for a long time that she was the real deal. No plastic, no surgery scars, just enviable all-around natural perfection.

Well, almost. Eventually, she did admit that her breasts had some work. Slowly over time, she has come to confess to some other complicated procedures (albeit indirectly). Even so, she said in one interview that she is through with enhancing her body surgically. Still, many of her unusual claims endure.

13. The Sister

Lukyanova also has a sister Olga. Like her sister, she has dark intense eyes. She is also quite beautiful although in a way distinct from Lukyanova. Her hair is brown and her lips are full like her sister’s. Is this what Lukyanova looked like before she began to surgically enhance her features?

Also unlike her sister, Olga is known to smile once in a while while her big sister prefers to maintain the serious vacant look in her eyes. Obviously, as you will soon find out, she has a lot on her mind.

14. Just Like Barbie

According to Olga, she used to really envy her sister’s looks. So much so that she tried desperately to emulate her. It’s a similar tale of many sisters where the younger one wants to be just like the older one.

Side by side, the two look strikingly similar donning the same blonde hair. And although Olga gave her sister’s look a try, in the end she struggled to fit into this identity. But does she also share her sister’s unique take on life?

15. An Example

Olga explained that these days, she does not try so hard to be like her sister. Instead, she tries to simply “look at her as an example”.

She went on to say that she is shocked that so many people consider her sister to be a Barbie. It is not a word she would want to use to describe her sister because she “associates [the word] with an unintelligent person”. Olga believes that her sister is much more than a pretty doll that just looks perfect all the time. However, Lukyanova has a different take on the matter.

16. Never Perfect Enough

It’s common knowledge that nothing –nobody– is perfect. The Universe even in its complexity is inherently flawed as are we. But Lukyanova takes this old adage to a whole new level. She believes that “perfection has no limitations”.

This being the case, Lukyanova refuses to settle for just “okay”. In most cases, she pulls it off, wowing the World with her impeccable makeup and mannequin stillness. Even so, Lukyanova can admit that the quest for perfection and self-reinvention can be tiring. Especially when the outside world is peering in.

17. The Price of “Perfect”

Carrying around a title as whimsically enormous as the 'Human Barbie' can be exhausting after a while. People tend to forget the human part of that name to the point that they ignore it completely at times.

Lukyanova has expressed such concerns in a couple interviews, saying that it often hurts her to be seen as a novelty rather than a living being. While she enjoys the extra attention she gets for her unique looks and perfectly-molded figure, she does not want her identity to depend on these things alone. On top of that, not everyone has been so kind to her. Some people have been downright evil as you will soon see.

18. The Attack

It was 2014, the night of Halloween in the city of Odessa. Lukyanova was about to get settled in at home for the night when the unthinkable happened.

Two unnamed assailants attacked Lukyanova just outside her house. They punched and strangled her mercilessly and were only stopped thanks to a vigilant neighbor catching them. She was rushed to the hospital to treat her injuries. Lukyanova said that it “happened so fast” that there was no way she could have seen it coming. Sadly, she is no stranger to physical threats. When those subside, there are usually still plenty of ruthless critics eager to bring her down.

19. A Fake?

Of course, Lukyanova might have expected people to object to her unusual take on Life and question how “real” her body is. When the World is obsessed with symmetry and perfection, it only makes sense to be somewhat skeptical when perfection presents itself, seemingly raw and untampered.

But when people criticize and attack her, they do not always remain on the surface level. Sometimes they aim for the heart. Thus, once they stopped accusing Lukyanova of having fake breasts, fake hair, and fake anything visible to the naked eye, they went deeper, hoping to expose a fake persona deep down as well. Fortunately, Lukyanova is well prepared for these kind of people.

20. The Media’s Fire

“I noticed that the media is only interested in the negative,” Lukyanova said. “Show someone in a bad light. Show someone’s mistakes.”

But Lukyanova has taken this negative media attention in stride. She has frequently addressed the ruthless press via her camera. In one video, she said sarcastically “I hope they don’t expose me.” But what might they expose?

21. The Internet’s Ire

The anonymity the Internet provides invites all sorts of bad behavior. With her controversial looks and behavior, Lukyanova learned this quickly.

She has read all sorts of comments attacking everything from her thinness to the way she speaks. But she claims that she does not let these comments get to her. In fact, she claims the exact opposite, as you will soon find out.

22. The Energy Vampire

Lukyanova has gone so far as to describe herself as an “energy vampire”. That is, someone who thrives off negativity rather than wilts from it. She wants the attention and will add fuel to any fires she starts if that means it will come her way.

In one video, she attempted to prove to skeptics that all her ribs were still intact, her waist small without any doctoring. But even though she triumphs in proving the skeptics wrong, Lukyanova is not all about vengeance.

23. No Hard Feelings

Even though Lukyanova has no problem confronting those who despise her most, she harbors no ill feelings against them. In fact, she has claimed that she wants everyone to “be happy” and that she hopes they can do that by focusing less on her and more on themselves.

Coming from a self-proclaimed spiritual guru, this all makes sense. After all, shouldn’t someone so in tune with the Universe want to be at peace with all who inhabit it? Lukyanova may well be genuine. Still, it is clear she has a message to send. And she needs to get people’s attention -- and keep it -- if they are to get it.

24. The Teenage Witch Years

Lukyanova’s teenage years were quite different from her current state. Teenagers have an obsession with finding themselves which often leads to some crazy experimentation. Like many others, even the 'Human Barbie' tried to explore who she really was when she was younger.

Lukyanova stunned fans and skeptics alike by revealing what she looked like during her teen years. Surprisingly, she was not all about just glitz then. None of the pictures reveal her posing in ethereal light. Instead, we behold a girl garbed in black surrounded by flickering fire. She fancied herself a witch then, long before delving into her otherworldly persona. As she grew older, however, her beliefs became even stranger. Read on to find out exactly how much stranger.

25. Alien Beliefs

One glance at Lukyanova confirms the obvious: she does not look like most women. In fact, some might even go as far to say that she is otherworldly, not a single fragment of human DNA in her blood.

Well, in Lukyanova’s eyes, these conspiracy theorists might not be so far off after all. In a piece put out by Vice aptly entitled "Space Barbie", Lukyanova announced that she is not human at all but rather an otherworldly creature who has a thing-or-two to teach clueless humans. As it turns out, Lukyanova did not abandon her spirituality with her witch phase. It might even rival her passion for dolls. It might be something more than a passion altogether for Lukyanova knows from where she hails. Someplace beyond this Planet!

26. Out of This World

According to Lukyanova, she hails not from Earth but from one of its luminous neighbors - Venus. At least, that’s what she thinks she remembers. Beyond that, her memory grows hazy.

What she does know, however, is that she differs so vastly from other people. She claims that ever since childhood she has had a hyper-awareness and seen swirling spiral visions. According to one report, her mother drew a circle around her bed in chalkas if to separate her from the Universe around her.

27. Haunted

Lukyanova’s hyperawareness of her surroundings robbed her of sleep. She saw dizzying spiral shapes. And these shapes reportedly danced around her relentlessly as though taunting her.

But Lukyanova refused to let this unfamiliar dimension defeat her. Using the power of her mind, she halted the spirals in their tracks. Suddenly she was in control. She knew in that moment that she could be a “master of the situation”.

28. Of Body, Of Spirit

Because of her past experiences with the spiritual realm, Lukyanova aimed for a more-than-perfect physical form. She strives to go beyond herself and understand the depth of the spirit. And she wants to help others do the same.