.jpg)

Dark hair, tan skin, and petite in stature — far from the tall blonde Barbie we’ve all come to know, a commanding figure struts onto the pink makeshift set of Barbieland just at the hour of sunrise. As a queer Filipino drag performer, Marina Summers is the walking antithesis to your stereotypical Barbie doll. Her drag brings forth an intersection of queer and Filipino representation – aiming to map out a space for young ‘brown boys’ like her to be seen. From challenging beauty standards to gunning for the international stage, this queen is here to show us that her ‘Barbie’ was not made to fit into boxes.
As she emerges from her wardrobe room, dawning an iconic hot pink Filipiniana number, and a face beat to the gods in full ZALORA glam – Marina transforms before our eyes, ready for play. Her mission today is simple, to expand and shift the narrative of something as culturally iconic as Barbie to become more inclusive of people like her. She settles in front of the cameras, and the room goes quiet. With one striking pose, we watch Barbie come to life.
Long before she knew what ‘drag’ even meant, Marina already loved playing dress up. “Little did I know that I actually started doing drag in my bedroom when I was in kindergarten. I turned blankets into gowns, wore towels as my hair, and used pillow sheets as my mermaid tail. I was imagining a world at such a young age and was already doing drag before I knew such a concept existed.” This idyllic sanctuary of dream and play eventually turned into reality when Marina was inspired to take up drag after encountering an exciting community in action. “Way back in 2018, I was a producer for a TV Show, and I featured a few local drag queens in a queer bar in BGC. I got so inspired that a year later, I became a drag queen-in that very same bar.”
The drag superstar’s journey has been marked by full circle moments, continuously treading the layers that go in-between play and reality. ‘Marina Summers’ as a persona is the amalgamation of her inner child’s ability to dream up worlds and her own hard work placed into making those dreams happen. A sum of heritage, culture, and inspiration – Marina came to life, and is continuously brought to life, by the places and people that surround her. “Initially, the conception of Marina started with the beach and the tropical fantasy. But these days, I find myself drawing inspiration from the strong and glamorous female figures I grew up admiring.”
Barbie and Drag Queens share the same dreams. A doll as a blank canvass, countless outfits & accessories to mix and match, and the ability to be whoever you want to be. Drag, in its essence, is about celebrating endless possibilities and allowing yourself room for play, fantasy, and transformation. “Drag is a transformative art not just physically but internal as well. Drag has helped me strengthen my principles, form my life mission, and be an inspiration to young queer kids.” Marina operates under the same belief as Barbie: there’s nothing we can’t do or be. “If I were to create a Drag Barbie, I would love to see a doll with a set of fabulous and extravagant outfits, interchangeable wigs of many colors, accessories and makeup. I want kids (or people of any ages) to play with the Drag Barbie the way drag queens play with their creativity and imagination - boundless.”
Much like a real-life Barbie doll, Marina is her own muse when it comes to experimenting with fashion and makeup. “Style and makeup have always influenced my drag. Apart from being a performer, drag is where I also get to be a visual artist. The more I incorporate style and beauty, the more my drag gets fully realized.” Sporting a full face of drag makeup using products from ZALORA’s Beauty category, Marina reflects on her special relationship with the art of getting dolled up. “My favorite part of getting in drag is putting on makeup. I find it to be sacred and meditative. It’s a way to embrace my natural beauty and also see how it lets me transform into a different character. Knowing I have that much power makes me confident.” Allowing ourselves the freedom and flexibility to explore our identity is the ethos of Drag and Barbie.
Limited Edition, one of one, and cannot be replicated – Marina Summers’ ‘Barbie’ stands as the epitome of limits transcended. “Drag has categorically reimagined beauty standards. It has shown that putting on makeup, dressing up, expressing a different persona doesn’t actually change who you are, it actually reveals an extension of that.” As she closes the shoot in yet another iconic pink number for the last layout, the queen shifts back into character & teases us on what’s to come. “Championing Filipino queer excellence continues to be my North Star. One way to fulfill that is to keep breaking glass ceilings and making sure that Filipino Drag is seen in as many spaces as possible. Whether it's television, commercials, beauty, fashion or music, I want to make sure that a Filipina Drag Queen is seen and heard by brown asian queer kids, not only in the Philippines, but also across the WORLD.”
Dreamers and players like Marina are shifting the narrative of what our cultural beauty icons should look like. Marina Summers has proved that a brown-skinned, queer, drag queen can be Barbie — and more.