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
In response, the company has released a series of empowering women dolls from both the past and present
Frida Kahlo, Artist
Amelia Earhart, Aviation Pioneer
Martyna Wojciechowska, Journalist
Hélène Darroze, World-Renowned Chef
Ashley Graham, Model And Body Activist
Patty Jenkins, Filmmaker
Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician And Physicist
Yuan Yuan Tan, Prima Ballerina
Sara Gama, Soccer Player
Leyla Piedayesh, Designer and Entrepreneur
Ibtihaj Muhammad, Fencing Champion
Bindi Irwin, Conservationist
Xiaotong Guan, Actress And Philanthropist
Chloe Kim, Snowboarding Champion
Gabby Douglas, Gymnastics Champion
Ava Duvernay, Film Director
Hui Ruoqi, Volleyball Champion
Nicola Adams Obe, Boxing Champion
Some people applauded the new dolls
While others thought they shouldn’t exist in the first place
What do you think?
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 shit 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.
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.
Most of those I can maybe understand, but a lamp?
Ikr?... :( I wanted to be astronaut, horse and star. As in the meaning celestial body.
You wanted to be a lamp? Mmmmm.....k. That's something I definitely never considered aspiring to.
ok...
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Trying too hard, here
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?
Amen!!
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 bitch white barbies.
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.
Completely agree! I never wanted to be a blonde white girl growing up, but whenever I saw a doll or a cartoon character with a girl that has tan skin like me I would get really happy about it because I would feel like that's me
What’s with the negativity in the post?
Welcome to bored panda, where interesting posts often start fascinating debates.
50 years!
Get a fucking grip. There's nothing wrong with Barbie doing this at all.
Get a fucking grip . there was nothing wrong with original Barbie in the first place
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.
This. Also, it's technical reasons. I believe it's not easy to make more complex molds for those plastic doll faces meant to be mass-produced.
Indeed. The only message these negative comments are sending is "unless you do it perfectly, exactly the way we want it, don't dare try to make anything positive". The world won't do a 180 all of a sudden, it's a gradual change, and any improvement is an improvement. And some of them honestly have much more unique faces than I thought they'd make.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hm, yes, don't demand a decent product - just accept whatever they deign to thrown at you. This is a slap in the face - they just couldn't be bothered with new designs.
there are many great women in the world both then and now. focus on the positive and the negative can be replaced.
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 shit 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.
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.
Most of those I can maybe understand, but a lamp?
Ikr?... :( I wanted to be astronaut, horse and star. As in the meaning celestial body.
You wanted to be a lamp? Mmmmm.....k. That's something I definitely never considered aspiring to.
ok...
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Trying too hard, here
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?
Amen!!
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 bitch white barbies.
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.
Completely agree! I never wanted to be a blonde white girl growing up, but whenever I saw a doll or a cartoon character with a girl that has tan skin like me I would get really happy about it because I would feel like that's me
What’s with the negativity in the post?
Welcome to bored panda, where interesting posts often start fascinating debates.
50 years!
Get a fucking grip. There's nothing wrong with Barbie doing this at all.
Get a fucking grip . there was nothing wrong with original Barbie in the first place
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.
This. Also, it's technical reasons. I believe it's not easy to make more complex molds for those plastic doll faces meant to be mass-produced.
Indeed. The only message these negative comments are sending is "unless you do it perfectly, exactly the way we want it, don't dare try to make anything positive". The world won't do a 180 all of a sudden, it's a gradual change, and any improvement is an improvement. And some of them honestly have much more unique faces than I thought they'd make.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hm, yes, don't demand a decent product - just accept whatever they deign to thrown at you. This is a slap in the face - they just couldn't be bothered with new designs.
there are many great women in the world both then and now. focus on the positive and the negative can be replaced.