Barbie to me is the story of my life.
Though….we lived the ‘Altered’ version.

My mother, her husband, myself, a sister, 3 aunts and a network of
hairdressers, more family, friends, musicians and a band of artists, all
set the many stages of Youtopia.

We did a little bit of everything in this family business, while still attending high school.
Including; set design, costume design, modeling, lighting, make-up and choreography.
I personally was also, the photographer for the first several years.

Youtopia was my mother’s invention of living art
expressed through hair, fashion and theatrics. The same way almost every little girl in America
imitated art when she played with Barbie and her friends at the Malibu House!

We did it all over the bay area from Campbell, California to San Francisco.
Art galleries, cabarets, discotheques, Union Square and more.
There were also the annual parties /productions at Youtopia, the hair salon in Campbell.
Once we outfitted every room in a mansion, showcased by select interior designers, with a ‘Youtopia’ model complete with a finale: A Youtopia fashion ballet performed outside on the grassed premises.

I’d say I had a lot in common with Barbie except… she was far more conservative!