Glo-Up Girl, Rose, by Far Out(ar translation)

Ever since I wrote the FailFix review back in November (which feels like yesterday in my head…), I have been wanting to take a look at the Glo-Up Girls.  Both types of doll have a makeover theme, and both come with their real faces hidden, so that you can’t see exactly what features each doll has.  While the FailFix girls came with mask-like, silly faces to cover their permanent features, the Glo-Up Girls come with a fabric sleep mask that conceals their eyes, nose, and cheeks.  It’s a little risky to buy a doll when you can’t see their whole face, as we saw with some of the wonky eyes on the FailFix girls, but it’s also pretty exciting! The Glo-Up line of dolls is based on glo-up culture, a social media sensation that involves people sharing photos of their personal transformation over time.  The transformation is usually physical (an improvement in style or appearance), but can also relate to changes in attitude, confidence, and lifestyle.  The term “glo up” originates from a Chief Keef song, Gotta Glo Up, which is inspired by the name of his label, the Glory Gang–or Glo Gang for short. As is often the case, I came upon the Glo-Up Girls only by chance, during one of my expeditions to Target.  The first wave dolls were released in July of 2021, so by the time I saw them in the store late last summer, they were on clearance to make way for a second wave.  In this review I’ll take a look at the redheaded character, Rose, and see how she–and the Glo-Up Girls concept–changed from the first wave to the second wave.  Here’s first wave Rose before I even knew what her face looked like: