Today we’d like to introduce you to Hilda Zavala.
Hi Hilda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I would like to share my story on how my love and passion for Barbie originated. My name is Hilda Dora, I was born and raised in Sinaloa Mexico, and currently living in Los Angeles, CA. Ever since I was a little girl, I dream about having a Barbie, my parents couldn’t afford buying me one because we were a big family, 13 kids to say the least, with me being the 3rd from the youngest. When my oldest siblings came to the United States back in the early eighty’s it became a bit easier for my parents to support us. My siblings would send money for the basic necessities. One day my mom and I had a doctor’s appointment, outside the office was a small cart that sold fake Barbies. I fell in love with it because it had shoes and glasses, I have never seen a doll with those types of accessories before. I begged my mom to buy it for me but since I had a younger sister, she would have had to buy one for her as well, which at the time, it was an expense she couldn’t afford but I guess me begging convince her get to it for us (I usually didn’t ask her for anything when we went out to the city). I remember making a lot of clothes for this doll and I took care of her like it was my precious treasure, I guess this is where my dream of becoming the designer for Barbies started.
About a year later my parents told me that I was coming to the United States to study, I had to leave everything behind including my precious doll. My mom said “you will get better toy with your siblings” in the United States. I was very sad to leave my doll but the idea of having a real Barbie made me happy. I was 10 years old at the time when I came to this country. The language barrier made it very hard to grasp, I remember my first week in school, I was definitely home sick, I wanted to go back to Mexico because I didn’t understand anything the teachers were telling me, but my family reminded me why I came to this country and at that point I decide to stay and do my best in school. After overcoming hard days at school and being in Los Angeles for a whole year, being here grew on me. One weekend my family and I went to a flea market, I saw a Barbie dressed as a doctor and I asked my mom if she could buy it for me but one of my oldest sisters told me “You are too old for Barbies” so I didn’t get it and I was very disappointed. I cry a little but I had no choice but to get over it, I was just 12 years old at the time. Until this day I remember this story like it happen yesterday. Fast forward, after finishing High School and Cosmetology school, my family expected me to go to college. Not knowing what I was going to study, looking around at options, I saw a flyer for Fashion Design. I told myself this is it, maybe one day I can become a Designer for Barbie. I finished an associate degree in Fashion Design in 2001 but never pursued my Designer career, it was so hard to go into the industry without having experience or someone whom recommended you. I interviewed for a few jobs related to this career but the lack of experience was the barrier.
While attending college I had the opportunity to start my own business and eventually opened my beauty shop. There, I met my husband, Andy. We started dating in 2005, I shared with him the love for this doll, he took me to the Mattel store a few times since he lived 10 minutes away from there. I never bought anything because I asked myself, “what are going to do with a Barbie at my age”, at this point, I was in my early 30’s. Few years after dating, we happen to walk into a store, there I saw a hairdresser, Barbie. I asked my husband to get it for me as a Christmas present, which he eventually did, to this date it’s still kept in its original box. Another hobby I grew to love was Photography, I started this hobby back when I was in high school in 1993 taking pictures of my family & friends which became a big accomplishment. Taking many photos allowed me to look back at wonderful memories I now hold close to me. Memories of my nephews as kids, my siblings and parents. Now I get to share them with my nephew’s kids. One day, I was taking photos of my son’s Legos. I showed them to my husband, he said your photos are great but they are missing something. I will show you a few accounts on Instagram on toy photography, perhaps it will give you an idea to help inspire and guide you to add more to your photos. As I searched social media, I discovered amazing toy accounts. I started following a lot of these accounts thru my personal page to get inspired until I was ready to open my Barbie account. For some reason, I doubt myself in many things. I would tell myself, perhaps your ideas aren’t going to get likes, the not being good enough, (I’m a perfectionist). Finally, in January of 2019 I open my account as myhurricanebarbies, to show everyone my ideas and concepts. With the support of my husband, I overcame this issue, he encouraged me to follow my inspiration with this hobby. I decided to combine my love for Barbie and photography and share it with the world. I recently landed a position in a textile company, which is related to the fashion industry. My position is product development, we design fabrics for big corporations like Target, Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, New Balance and many other brands. What I like about this job is that I have access to many different types of fabrics and I make my own designs. Unfortunately, I don’t get to sew and design due to lack of time. Until this day, I still get excited that one day I will work for Mattel even if is not as a Designer. Since I open my Instagram in 2019, I have been taking some of my Barbie’s on different adventures when my family goes out. So far, I have taken photos of my Barbie’s in Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles. Internationally I have photographed them in Mexico City, Jalisco, Sinaloa and Tijuana. I try to capture everyday moment but in the eyes of what my doll see’s. I look forward to capturing more images of these dolls around the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of my biggest challenges was finding self-confidence within myself to take pictures of my Barbies in a public setting. At first, I struggle with comments people might say or peoples reaction. But after my husband encouraged me not to care what other people might think, I overcame it, and has truly been one of my most enjoyable and creative adventure so far. Another big challenge, has been caring for our elderly parents and not having the time to fully commit to taking photos. But even with this hurdle, I still try to take as many pictures as possible.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I freelance photography of all my Barbie and take in an adventure in a every place we visit with my family.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: myhurricanebarbies
Image Credits
Hilda Dora Zavala
