NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There's a name we've all known since 1959. While she's never stopped being popular, people are definitely talking about her this summer. Nashville is helping celebrate her big premiere this weekend.
Down at Rosepepper Cantina, you see a question on a billboard outside: "Are you gonna Barbenheimer or Oppenbarbie?"
It's the question of which new release film you'll see first — the World War II epic thriller "Oppenheimer" or pop culture icon turned movie star "Barbie."
At a bright pink house a few doors down from Rosepepper on Eastland Avenue, you know which movie's top priority.
With a pink house and pink Thunderbird as the backdrops, Katie Gore of Katie-Mac Photography was behind the lens in a photoshoot.
"Well, my specialty is definitely creative portraits," Katie said. "I like to build sets."
Savannah Pflueger was the model of one photoshoot, posing in the frame and in focus.
"You get to finally see yourself the way that you want," she smiled, sporting stylish shades, a flowing dress, and platform boots.
The owner of the Thunderbird is Kelsey Simon.
"This is the Dolly Carton," Kelsey said, showing off the car. "This is a 1957 dusk rose Thunderbird. She's my little princess."
"This is the House of Adora," she continued, gesturing to the pink house.
"This is a photoshoot and video shoot house," added Katie.
"Got props!" Kelsey said, popping the trunk of the car to show a variety of pink items: a TV, an ice cream prop, a pink phone, and far more. "Yeah! We got it all."
Katie and Kelsey have teamed up to offer Barbie-inspired photoshoots.
"I had, like, every Barbie possible," said Katie. "I had two different convertibles. I love Barbie."
At 11, Katie's first photo subjects were her Barbies.
"I would set them up and pretend I was taking their pictures," she laughed.
"I loved the glam aspect of Barbie," Kelsey added. "She could be smart and do whatever she wanted and look good doing it!"
"If she wanted to be a plumber that day, she was a plumber," said Savannah.
"She's an astronaut one day, she's a rock star the next day," said Katie.
Perhaps that's a reason Barbie's been around so long.
"Barbie continues to grow with us," Savannah explained.
As such, these Barbie-themed photoshoots have been anything people want them to be.
"Every person is different, and I want to bring out the story they want to tell," said Katie.
"We do 20 shoots a day and not one shoot is going to be the same as another one," Kelsey added.
"Everybody can shine the way they want to," said Savannah. "Everybody can bring their own flavor to it, their own personality, and they're their own Barbie. That's amazing."
Katie and Kelsey are lining up more photoshoots. They're planning to offer pink Halloween photoshoots at House of Adora this fall.
