This Couple Spent Over $300K To Look Like Barbie And Ken
At this point, the dolls are more real than they are.
Brenda Rocha - Blossom / Shutterstock We all have things we're interested in and get excited about. For some people, it's training for marathons; for others, fashion. The things we love shape our personalities and make us who we are.
But sometimes we can become passionate about our interests to the point of being obsessed. There are healthy passions, and then there's spending hundreds and thousands of dollars trying to look like human versions of Barbie and Ken.
In 2015, French couple Quentin Dehar and Anastasia Reskoss, whose aim in life/reason for living was to become real-life Barbie and Ken, received many plastic surgeries to achieve their goals.
Quentin and Anastasia spent over $322,728 on procedures, including (but not limited to) lip injections, butt implants, cheek fillers, two breast jobs, ear reshaping surgery, Botox, veneers, teeth whitening, and nail extensions.
The most interesting part is that all these expensive treatments and surgeries were paid for by their parents.
Reskoss, who didn't feel especially pretty growing up, had her first plastic surgery procedure (a nose job) when she was 17. And a year later, she had a breast job — both paid for by her parents.
"I felt so much better after my first nose job and [breast] job. It was like having amour," she said. "My parents were so pleased with my nose job, too. I always had a tiny, ugly bump on my nose, but after surgery, it was slightly less visible. However, my mum and dad weren't so happy about my [breast] job. They didn't understand why I would want bigger breasts but they couldn't resist treating me to cosmetic surgery.
I was a good daughter. I studied hard and did very well at school. At the end of the day, my parents would rather have a teenage daughter who takes care of her appearance than one who takes drugs."
Dehar could also relate to not feeling good about his looks when he was growing up. At age 18, he had his first surgery (also a nose job), and a year later he had his first round of Botox.
"At secondary school, I just felt very average. I didn't feel like me. I told myself that I had to go back to the idol of my childhood and become Ken. I can't describe how much happier I was after my nose job and Botox injections. I felt like I was getting closer to becoming the real Ken," Dehar said.
Both Dehar and Reskoss had loving, wealthy parents who made sure they were well-educated and got everything they wanted, including massive Barbie doll collections.
"At one point, I had over 100 Barbies in my collection and I played with them all the time," said Reskoss. "I loved them! They were so beautiful."
Once out of childhood, their love of Barbie and Ken transformed from wanting to play with them to want to be them. "I adored my Ken dolls," Dehar added. "I had all the wonderful Ken accessories to go with them, too — the toy plane, the house, and the convertible car. I loved his billionaire lifestyle."
Dehar financed their Barbie and Ken lifestyle with the proceeds from his two successful cell phone shops. Like a scenario from a Barbie and Ken imaginary date, Dehar and Reskoss met at a boat party in Saint Tropez.
Reskoss described their magical meeting: "Quentin walked over to me and said, 'I've found the Barbie to my Ken.' It was so straightforward. We both knew we had met a partner who was going to enable us to become the Ken and Barbie we had always dreamed of being."
As they continued transitioning into the flesh and bone versions of the plastic dolls they love so much, not only did their parents call them Barbie and Ken, but they had planned to have their names legally changed to Ken and Doll.
Reskoss said, "It's so wonderful because Quentin and I have made all our cosmetic changes together and we look more like Barbie and Ken than ever. We complement each other. He's made me a better person and he's my best friend."
He helped her to become Barbie to his Ken, but spending money trying to look unreal and plastic isn't exactly a good indicator of having a strong character and being a good person.
Unfortunately, that dream Barbie and Ken life all came to an end in 2017 when Dehar broke up with Reskoss.
The reason for their split? Reportedly, it was because she dyed her hair brown.
Dehar said at the time, "I separated from Anastasia because I fell out of love with her. Ken does not like brunette girls. I wanted to spend the rest of our lives together morphing into the Ken and Barbie dolls we love, but Anastasia was no longer committed to that dream. She made that clear when she changed her blonde hair.
I’m a single and independent Ken now although it would be nice to find love again. I meet bimbos from time to time who show interest in me and I’ll take photos with them but I soon become suspicious of their intentions. Most of these girls just want the fame and popularity that comes with being with the ‘French Ken’.”
The previous year, Dehar was in a car accident, where doctors had discovered that his many nose jobs had caused him respiratory problems. However, Dehar appeared unbothered by this and said, “I think my nose is perfect. It’s 100 percent Ken. Having the complete Ken aesthetic is priceless for me and I’ve always believed it’s necessary to suffer to be beautiful.
But my nose has become too tiny after all my nose jobs and I do have quite serious respiratory problems now. My doctors were very concerned and they have advised that I redo my nose so I don’t suffer more in the future. But that won’t stop me from having other surgeries — I love being Ken.”
Sadly, Dehar allegedly died by suicide last year. In September 2019, French news outlets reported that Dehar had passed away.
He was found in his hotel room at the Hotel du Roi-Rene. The autopsy confirmed that it was a suicide.
Before his death, Dehar had left some cryptic messages on his social media pages, including a post on Facebook saying that he wanted to "forget everything."
Christine Schoenwald is a writer and performer. She's had articles in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, and Woman's Day. Visit her website or and her Instagram.