Who says we’re ever too old to play with dolls? On the sparkly high-heeled debut of a Barbie created in her likeness, Laverne Cox decided to take her triumph to the next level, hosting “A Very Barbie Birthday” party on Thursday to celebrate her 50th runway walk around the sun.

Cox won’t officially turn 50 until Sunday, but the actress-advocate and host of E! network’s red carpets opted to celebrate early on the rooftop of New York City’s Moxy Hotel, where a pink carpet was rolled out for her guests, many of whom also dressed in tribute to the 63-year-old fashion doll.

Cox seized the moment by turning herself into a living doll, dressed in an adult-sized version of her Barbie’s three-piece gown. And in iconic style, throughout the evening, she showed off all three variations of the silver and oxblood ensemble, crafted in (a likely vegan) leather, tulle, and sparkly spandex.

Laverne Cox celebrates A Very Barbie Birthday at Magic Hour at Moxy Times Square on May 26, 2022, in New York City.
Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Laverne Cox Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Laverne Cox

“I can’t believe it. I love her outfit,” Cox told People as her Barbie was released earlier this week, the first created in honor of a transgender person. “What excites me most about her being out in the world is that trans young people can see her and maybe get to purchase her and play with her, and know that there’s a Barbie made by Mattel, for the first time, in the likeness of a trans person,” she said.

As previously reported by theGrio, Cox was hands-on in the doll’s creation, sharing more details about the process with People. “I was like, ‘Can we make her look more like me? And more African American?’” she recalled asking Mattel’s creative team. “And we had a conversation about highlights and lowlights because I’m blonde most of the time now, but I’m a Black girl, so I need a dark root. And we had a whole conversation about how they can’t do that, but they could do dark low lights.”

Those details may seem superficial, but what can’t be understated is the potential impact of Cox’s doll in the current sociopolitical climate.

“I think in an environment where trans children have been used as a political football, when over 250 pieces of anti-trans legislation have been introduced in state legislatures all over the country in 2022 alone, and access to gender-affirming healthcare has been denied by policies signed into law in my home state of Alabama, in Arkansas and other states…That in this environment where trans kids are being attacked, that this can also be a celebration of transness, and also a space for them to dream, understand and be reminded that trans is beautiful,” she said. “That there’s hope and possibility for them to be themselves.”

Source: People

Maiysha Kai is Lifestyle Editor of theGrio, covering all things Black and beautiful. Her work is informed by two decades’ experience in fashion and entertainment, great books and aesthetics, and the brilliance of Black culture. She is also the editor-author of Body (Words of Change series).

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