Barbie is no longer the doll that we all grew up with… and that’s definitely not a bad thing! Since its conception in 1959, the Barbie doll has seen a very stagnant evolution. That was only until this past week when Mattel announced the release of “role model” Barbies in honor of International Women’s Day. With the introduction of these ethnically diverse dolls, young children will be able to enjoy playing with toys which they can relate to. This is a huge step for a Western world which, despite many claims to be open to diversity, is still very so focused on Eurocentric ideals of beauty. Here are some of the dolls that you can expect to see hitting stores very soon!
Chloe Kim most recently demonstrated her skills at the Winter Olympics, and is an Asian-American snowboarding champion. She started snowboarding at the age of 4 and has since been challenging stereotypes surrounding Asian-Americans and women in sports.
Amelia Earhart who courageously challenged conventions surrounding women in aviation. She was the first woman to set and break aviation records, and remains a symbol of courage and heroism.
Gabby Douglas is an African-American gymnast who first competed in the Olympics in 2012 at only 16 years old as a part of the London’s “Fierce Five”. She was also one of Larry Nassar’s sexual assault victims, and courageously spoke out against him during his court hearing.
Bindi Irwin is following in her later father’s footsteps by dedicating herself to animal and wildlife conservation.
Frida Kahlo is mostly known as an artist, but was more importantly an activist and a feminist icon. Although she passed away over half a decade ago, her work remains powerful and serves as inspiration to women everywhere.