I have always loved Barbie. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. When I was little I had Barbie doll houses, cars, clothes. I couldn’t get enough. But, there weren’t many dolls that looked like me. Barbie was always blond. Teresa had brown hair, but she wasn’t Barbie. Barbie has come a long way, and I say HOORAY!
READ RELATED: BARBIE: INSPIRING GIRLS THROUGH PLAY
I’m thrilled that my daughter will have so many choices when it comes to Barbie (the Fashionista collection has Barbies of all different heights, body types, skin tones, hair types and hair colors). And, as an activist and someone who believes in uplifting women and teaching my daughter about inspiring women, I am BEYOND THRILLED that Barbie has launched an Inspiring Women Barbie Doll collection.
I first saw it on Instagram, where someone shared the Frida Kahlo doll. I thought about the fact that I didn’t even know who Frida Kahlo was when I was little. And now, my daughter will have all these amazing dolls to play with– and learn about sheroes from such an early age. The first three dolls Mattel has launched are Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo and Katherine Johnson, whom I kind of obsessed with (I have seen Hidden Figures more times than I can count!)
The Inspiring Women Barbie Doll Series
In a press release, Mattel says “these historical dolls come with educational information about the contributions each woman made to society and their respective fields.”
The first three dolls in this series are:
Amelia Earhart – First female aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, courageously challenging the conventions of the times by breaking and setting aviation records.
Frida Kahlo – Artist who gained recognition for her unique style and perspective, and became a celebrated artist, activist and symbol of strength.
Katherine Johnson – Pioneer in mathematics who broke through barriers of race and gender, and joined a pool of women hired by NASA to work as ‘human computers’ to calculate the trajectory of the first American-manned flight into space.
Who are your Role Models? Share them with Barbie! #MoreRoleModels
Barbie wants to hear from you! They want to know who your female role models are! Tag them using #MoreRoleModels and tell them who inspires you.
Global Role Models on International Women’s Day
Barbie has also created a series of dolls who are role models from all over the world! These are real women who are professionals, who come in all shades, and nationalities.
Ballerina, fashion designer, chef, soccer player, Olympians… so amazing!
I’m particularly excited about the French chef, Hélène Darroze and Sara Gama, the Italian soccer player.
So, tell me, which ones are you getting for your kids?
More importantly, tell me, who are your role models? Don’t forget to share with Barbie using #MoreRoleModels tag.
Personally, I think I want a Gloria Steinem Barbie doll, a Ruth Bader Ginsburg Barbie doll, a Dolores Huerta Barbie doll and a Celia Cruz Barbie doll. #MoreRoleModels
Photos courtesy of Barbie/mattel
