Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Barbie dolls have been introducing girls to beauty and fashion trends for 58 years, but recently the company decided to switch things up. To better understand what the current society needs, Barbie surveyed 8,000 mothers. It found out that 86% of them are worried about what kind of role models their daughters are exposed to, so the company created 17 dolls of real and famous women.

“Girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie, and we are thrilled to shine a light on real-life female historical figures and famous athletes to remind them that they can be anything,” senior vice president and general manager of Barbie, Lisa McKnight, said in a news release.

Each “Inspiring Women” doll comes with educational information about the way each of the female heroes shaped society. The lineup consists of both historical and modern-day figures. Amelia Earhart, the first female to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and Frida Kahlo, the famous artist, and activist, is among them. Although the series has only three dolls so far, the lineup is set to grow with the release of new ones, a spokeswoman for Mattel said.

Barbie also made new additions to its Shero program, which began in 2015. The initiative has already honored such history-making women like Ibtihaj Muhammad, Misty Copeland, Ava DuVernay, Eva Chen, and Ashley Graham. Now, it’s celebrating even more modern-day female heroes: gold-winning Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, world-renowned chef Hélène Darroze, and others.

More info: mattel.com

Barbie surveyed 8,000 mothers and found out that 86% of them are worried about what kind of role models their daughters are exposed to

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

In response, the company has released a series of empowering women dolls from both the past and present

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Frida Kahlo, Artist

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Amelia Earhart, Aviation Pioneer

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Martyna Wojciechowska, Journalist

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Hélène Darroze, World-Renowned Chef

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Ashley Graham, Model And Body Activist

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Patty Jenkins, Filmmaker

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician And Physicist

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Yuan Yuan Tan, Prima Ballerina

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Sara Gama, Soccer Player

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Leyla Piedayesh, Designer and Entrepreneur

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Ibtihaj Muhammad, Fencing Champion

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Bindi Irwin, Conservationist

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Xiaotong Guan, Actress And Philanthropist

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Chloe Kim, Snowboarding Champion

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Gabby Douglas, Gymnastics Champion

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Ava Duvernay, Film Director

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Hui Ruoqi, Volleyball Champion

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Nicola Adams Obe, Boxing Champion

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

Some people applauded the new dolls

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

While others thought they shouldn’t exist in the first place

Barbie Unveils 17 New Dolls Based On Inspiring Women Like Frida Kahlo And Chloe Kim, And We Want Them All

What do you think?

Rokas Laurinavičius

Author, BoredPanda staff

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 235 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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Libssuc 6 years ago

I think I used to play with the Barbies 50 years ago and grew up fine. I mean really this is ridiculous I mean I don't mind the dolls I think they're really cool but the original Barbie didn't screw with my head didn't make me want to look like her I didn't look to wear as a role model I just played with her. The s**t is out of control. If you're worried about your Children's role model than maybe you should just be one for them and stop relying on a Barbie doll.

88points

A Ghost 6 years ago

Someone could make the case I was impacted by Barbie. For a time I wanted to be a tall, big breasted white woman. However I also wanted to be Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, a lamp and a cat. I don't think Barbie was the worst of these.

74points

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Shari H 6 years ago

When I was a kid I played with Barbie, and Gem, and He-Man action figures, and Cabbage Patch dolls (guess when I was a kid, lol). I never wanted to look like any of them, they were just toys. You know, an outlet for my imagination; but then again I didn't have adults telling me that my toys were giving me unrealistic standards and that they were bad role models. I did have adults who acted as role models and explained things about life in appropriate ways and did not rely on Mattel to guide me. Maybe put the keyboard away and engage with your children?

13points

Shauday Smith 6 years ago

Then you were lucky to have a strong sense of self during your formative child years. Some people do not have that ability to distinguish between what is real and what is artifice. I'm not trying to make your childhood anything less. Sounds like you had a good childhood with a good head on your shoulders. But some people struggle with idealized images and how they are supposed to relate to those image. And like you said, may not have proper strong role models in their lives to help them with forming healthy self esteem. I actually remember having a friend whose mother would compare her to Barbie. So it can be more insidious than meets the eye. But than again, i don't think that mother would have bought these particular barbies regardless if they were available in the 90's or not. She would have bought the skinny b***h white barbies.

6points

Lauren Kaufmann 6 years ago

I see where you're coming from, but I think its about representation. When I was a little girl, I always leaned towards characters who were like me- not blond, freckled, short haired, etc. I know I didn't have it as hard as some people, but being able to look at a doll and think "Wow its me" is a cool feeling.

4points

Furious_Lover 6 years ago

What’s with the negativity in the post?

3points

C.Marrero 6 years ago

50 years!

2points

Johanna Zamora 6 years ago

Get a f*****g grip. There's nothing wrong with Barbie doing this at all.

-2points

Alia Ris 6 years ago

Barbie company would still makes Barbie dolls as close as their old ones, it's the branding, the signature. Of course not all of it looks like the real heroes, but at least when girls see it, they would wonder who these are, google, and hopefully, inspired by it.

40points