Barbie wants girls everywhere to know that they can be anything they want.
On Thursday, Mattel, the toy's maker, announced three new dolls in its Inspiring Women Series. They're likenesses of the former number one tennis player in the world, Billie Jean King, jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald, and the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.
The newest dolls are part of Barbie's attempt at addressing the dream gap, which researchers say limits girls' thinking about what they're capable of and starts around five or six years old. To help combat this harmful thinking, Mattel launched its global initiative, the Dream Gap Project, in 2018 to provide girls with resources and support to help them dream big. In addition to raising funds for girls' empowerment charities, the project includes dolls that are role models who broke historic barriers.
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“Billie Jean King is the definition of an inspiring woman, as she is not only a legendary tennis player, but also an equality champion. By shining a spotlight on her powerful story, along with Ella Fitzgerald and Florence Nightingale, we are continuing to show girls that they can be anything," says Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and global head of Barbie and its dolls portfolio.
The three dolls are all available for $29.99 each on Barbie's website. They're also for sale at Target, Walmart, and on Amazon. Previous dolls in Barbie's Inspiring Women Series have included Amelia Earhart, Katherine Johnson, Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, and Sally Ride.
This isn't the first time Barbie has diversified. The past five years have seen more than 170 new looks for Barbie, including 5 different body types, 22 skin tones, 76 hair styles, 94 hair colors, and 13 eye colors, according to a Mattel spokesperson.
More recently, in celebration of Black History Month, Barbie collaborated with Queen & Slim costume designer Shiona Turini to release a four-part series of diverse Barbie dolls (many are black), according to People. This comes 40 years after the debut of the first black Barbie doll in 1980.
Barbie, with her unrealistic body, pink convertible, and fancy dream house of yore, has gotten her fair share of criticism over the decades. But, hey, she's trying.
Topics Social Good
