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Remember when the only career choices you'd play role with your blonde and blue-eyed Barbie would involve a kitchen (read home-maker) or a hair salon? Only because those were the sets that came with your treasure.
Nothing wrong with those life goals but if you're lucky enough to have been raised during a time when there were more options, you might not appreciate how far we've come in terms of what the dolls look like and represent.
It's Barbie's 59th birthday and Mattel is releasing a collection called “Inspiring Women”, which according to Buzzfeed, features many well- and lesser-known women who made history in their respective fields.
Senior vice president and general manager of Barbie, Lisa McKnight, said the Barbie brand will be honouring a large lineup of role models launched in time for International Women’s Day because “we know that you can’t be what you can’t see”. #YouCanBeAnything.
There are 14 dolls in total and each one will come with an information packet that highlights the achievements of its icon's life.
The dolls are based mostly on living women like Chinese volleyball champion Hui Ruoqi, French chef Helene Darroze and British boxing champion Nicola Adams and even Australian conservationist and daughter of Steve Irwin, Bindi Irwin.
There’s also a doll for the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo but a lot of people are very unhappy about her portrayal. They say that it doesn’t accurately represent that she was disabled and in a wheelchair for most of her life or that Frida was quite proud of her facial hair.
Interestingly news is out that her estate didn’t even authorise the doll, reports Nylon.
So while the range is a great step in the right direction for getting more role models for young kids and diversity in toys, it looks like there are still problems with the line.
But, even when your faves are problematic, it doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate a win while being conscious of the issues surrounding it.
According to CNN, the “Shero” campaign began in 2015 at Barbie to highlight real women who have broken boundaries and create history. The new line includes Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, US Snowboarder Chloe Kim who just won a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang and other famous women who have strived for greatness.
The Barbie website says “86% of moms surveyed are worried about the kind of role models their daughters are exposed to” which is why they’re creating the latest Barbie role models inspired by these extraordinary women for whom they’ve created dolls in their likeness.
