Lola Pahkinamaki, who’s Turku, Finland, deemed herself as “Lola the Fitness Barbie” primarily because of not only her past obesity and transformation into a slimmer physique, but also of her uncanny similarities with Mattel’s signature doll, the Daily Mail reports.
Lola, who stands at 5 feet and two inches, works as a fitness instructor. She shared her story of how she grew up overweight and, desperate to lose the fat and stop the bullying from her peers, became anorexic. Now, Lola is at her most fit.
Lola, who also works as a model, recently had her breasts enlarged. She used to eat junk foods while she was growing up and she almost weighed twice as much as her body could handle.
When she was going through her teenage stage, Lola was constantly made fun by not only by her friends and other schoolmates, but also by her family members for being fat and unhealthy. Because of this, she would eat more to comfort herself and make her stop thinking of the word thrown at her.
Desperate to lose the weight, Lola eventually got an eating disorder. She was anorexic and her weight almost reached below 50 pounds. She would only eat one apple a day and intensely work out for over four hours each day.
Her body reached a point where it couldn’t handle the drastic weight loss and she was brought to the hospital.
Now, Lola became a social media icon for sharing her journey to her current Barbie-like self and wants others to learn about healthy living.
Lola said, “I had always loved Barbie as a child but I never believed it would ever be possible that I would look like one. Bullies would actually tease me calling me 'Barbie' because they knew I didn't look like the Barbies I loved.
“So, for years, I abused my body and let others make me feel worthless about my appearance. But by finally accepting myself and learning that there was more to life than looks, I found happiness and health - and I actually ended up looking like Barbie!
“I don't really think I looked like her but all the positive comments and comparisons to Barbie mean a lot to me. Barbie is like my guardian angel nowadays - she gives me power and the self-confidence that I need. The name 'Fitness Barbie' is part of me now.
“My message to others is don't try to lose weight or change your body for somebody else. Their opinion is not as important as how you feel in yourself.”
Lola began her dieting and losing weight when she was 15 years old. She shared that it was her grandfather who inspired her to lose weight, after being constantly mocked by him when she was growing up.
However, what actually happened was that it made her feel guilty and punished herself by working out more and more. She lost confidence and self-esteem less because of her weight and more because of the bullying from school and from home.
Lola said, “Even though I had lost weight, it was still not enough for my grandfather and I spiraled into an eating disorder. I became scared of eating and so I would consume nothing but a small piece of fruit every day and I over-exercised to lose more weight.
“My weight plummeted to 5 stone and 5lbs and I was so thin that I could feel my bones and ribs protruding out of my skin.”
Four years after she started dieting—coupled with a couple of visits to the hospital for her anorexia—Lola decided to accept herself.
She said, “One of the most important things that helped me towards recovery was accepting who I am. I will never change my body for anyone else than myself again. The foremost thing for me is health and fueling your body in the right way. I don't punish myself with over-exercising anymore.
“I don't really go to the gym now I do squats and exercises with a resistance band when I get a break from work. I just make smarter decisions throughout the week and on weekends, I have cheat days! I don't want to live a life without the foods I love like pizza and chocolate.”
