Table of contents:
- Body Positive: Barbie gains new body awareness
- Wheelchair & prosthesis: Barbie is finally becoming more inclusive
Large breasts, a tiny waist - Barbie's belly had hardly any place for all her organs and she could not even stand up straight. A toy that promotes the doll existence is now growing up for its 60th birthday and finally represents REAL women.
When Mattel launched the first Barbie 60 years ago, she had a wasp waist, miserably long legs, blue eyes, blonde whale hair and a huge bosom. A figure that doesn't even come close to that of a normal woman, yes, not even that of a Victoria's Secret model. Remodeled into a real woman, there would hardly be room for all of the vital organs in Barbie's belly and she could not even stand upright on her own in the first place.
For decades, Barbie promoted the well-behaved doll existence - far from emancipation or representation. Since 2015, however, the doll manufacturer Mattel has been trying to bring more diversity into children's rooms. Barbie is no longer just interested in fashion and make-up, but is also embarking on new career paths - she is a doctor or engineer and is supposed to show young girls that they can be anything they want.
Body Positive: Barbie gains new body awareness
In recent years, Mattel has also listened to customers' requests for different body shapes and colors. Yes, there is even a model without a high heel foot. You develop: slightly shorter legs, dolls with something like hips and Barbies with Popsch. "We have a responsibility to present a broader concept of beauty to girls and parents," said Barbie General Manager Evelyn Mazzocco at the product launch.
Wheelchair & prosthesis: Barbie is finally becoming more inclusive
To develop the Barbie, Mattel worked with a team from UCLA and they also brought in a specialist for the Barbie prosthesis: 12-year-old Jordan Reeves, who wears a prosthetic arm himself. So it was Reeves' idea that Barbie's prosthesis should be removable.
Lo and behold: a Barbie with braided hair is finally joining the program. We are glad that Mattel scratched the curve for Barbie's 60th birthday and finally made diversity and inclusion a priority. Today's children may have a new image of the brand.
