Karla Puch seeks to make the Yucatecan culture visible through this love story. (Courtesy Karla Puch)
The wedding between Barbie and Action Man took place in Yucatán. The couple had extraordinary guests.
Behind the idea is Karla Puch, a communications student at the Autonomous University of Yucatán and a part-time photographer.
“Their wedding was born from the free time derived from the COVID-19 pandemic. When the isolation stated a year ago, no one was hiring my services as an event photographer,” she said.
Although the Yucatan-style wedding circulated on social media through Facebook and Instagram, it pales against the couple’s first anniversary in Izamal. Thus, Puch offers a new chapter of this happy romance to her social media followers.
“Well, the first year of Barbie and Action Man’s wedding has gone by, so I decided that the couple would travel to Izamal to enjoy its magnificent pyramids. Of course, as I am their official photographer, I had to accompany them.”
The love story between Barbie and Action Man that Karla Puch has been telling for a year has many backgrounds. At the wedding, both characters wore traditional regional dresses, as did all the guests, including Spider-Man or the Incredible Hulk.
“My mother, Teresita, is a seamstress and, together with my sister Tania helped me by making everyone’s outfits. I tried to show off the Yucatecan culture in my work,” she said.
The wedding photo shoot made Karla Puch’s social media gain followers in the thousands in just minutes. She soon began to receive hundreds of fan messages and even interviews with foreign media.
“It was an instant success. I was contacted by a French news outlet where they interviewed me. I honestly did not believe it was going to become such a hit. Thus, I continue to show Yucatecan culture through their love story.”
In addition to their wedding and anniversary, Barbie has also participated in some Mexican traditions, such as the Day of the Dead. To do this, the blue-eyed platinum blonde doll dressed for the occasion and set up her altar.
“I plan to highlight important Mexican traditions through them. We have already seen Barbie during the Day of the Dead, but I now want to also highlight baptisms, Mayan customs, and traditions of my home state, Yucatan. I was also preparing some untold stories about their wedding one year ago,” said the photographer.
Puch said the pandemic has undoubtedly helped her develop her creativity. She feels more ready than ever to continue the love story of the dream life between Barbie and Action Man.
“I know that it may seem funny, but it carries out a message: the Mexican flag and my culture have been seen throughout the world. I have received several messages from countries such as Spain, Peru, France, among others,” said Puch.
Besides her part-time job as a photographer, 23-year-old Puch is in the last semester of her bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Sciences and Anthropology. As both her classes and job opportunities stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to embark on her adventure.
“Their wedding was held on April 28 of last year. That is why they are celebrating their first-anniversary honeymoon. My message to all of my followers is not to let the pandemic make them sad. Despite being so apart from one another, we can still do things of which we feel proud while bringing joy to others,” she said.”
(Translated and edited by Mario Vázquez; edited by Kristen Butler)
