NZ rugby legend 'ridiculed' as a teen, turned into a Barbie
Black Ferns rugby star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe was confused by her strong build growing up. Now she has inspired a doll with muscles, tā moko and curly hair.
Black Ferns rugby star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe says her strong and athletic body - that has made her one of the greatest in the world - was at one point a target of ridicule which nearly derailed her.
"I got ridiculed for it then I started being called a man, and that was scary," Woodman-Wickliffe told Midday Report about her co-ed school days as a teen.
"I didn't want to be a part of anything. I didn't want to be a part of sports … I never really saw girls with big muscles or that had strong legs and so I never knew that that was normal. All I knew was that I was strong and fast.
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (left) says being called a man at a young age over her strong body nearly stopped her from pursuing what she loved the most.
Masanori Udagawa/Photosport
"So all this confusion that came around my body was quite hard."
Now 34, the two-time Olympic and Rugby World Cup winner has teamed up with toy maker Mattel as part of a special 'Team Barbie' collaboration to boost girls' body confidence and sports ambitions.
Mattel’s research — based on more than 6000 girls aged 6 to 14 across the US, UK, France, and New Zealand — found that one in three girls drops out of sports by the age of 14, primarily due to body confidence concerns, self-doubt, and a lack of visible female role models.
That’s why Woodman-Wickliffe was so intentional about how her Barbie doll was designed with three requests: muscles, tā moko and curly hair.
"I think for me, it represents the communities that I represent, if that makes sense, and I'm just so proud," Woodman-Wickliffe says.
"I think the guns are amazing. She's got some quads on her and the tā moko is just amazing. It's just perfect."
It might appear to still be a "skinny little thing" at first glance, she says, but her Barbie stands out compared to the traditional ones.
However, the Team Barbie dolls are not for sale.
"She's there to represent and to showcase to girls that they can pursue rugby or whatever it is that they dream of, but they're one of a kind, all four of them.
"If you work hard, and you dream big, and you love what you do, you will get to the point where these moments will happen for you."
Barbie dolls of (L to R), Ellie Kildunne of England, Ilona Maher of the USA, Nassira Konde of France and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe of New Zealand.
Supplied / Barbie, Mattel
As for those boys who used to tease her, she eventually put a stop to that the best way she knew how.
"I challenged them to a race and I smoked them all."
Now, as a mum to a 13-year-old daughter, her mission feels even more personal.
"[Her daughter is] in intermediate going into high school next year. That's all potential for her and I'm worried about it.
"But I hope that we've given her the confidence to know that her body is perfect in every way and it's going to take her to places that she's probably never dreamed of."
