Oh, how the tables have turned! Little girls everywhere can soon feel like the role models behind Barbie’s look, rather than the other way around.
Barbie, an immensely famous cultural icon, has raised a good deal of controversy since her birth in 1959, revolving around her impossible proportions and Mattel’s failure to realistically diversify the doll collection. In recent years, women everywhere have been encouraging the brand to widen its design horizons, and have even had some success. Now, we can really begin to celebrate the line’s advancement as Mattel makes some groundbreaking changes to their Barbie, slowly but surely moving towards representing all girls.
The trends tell all, as young women are increasingly choosing comfort over sex appeal. Apparently, new Barbie is totally on board! For the first time ever, Barbie’s ankles will be mobile, meaning her feet can adapt to far more than just her typical (and presumably painful!) extra-high heels. You go girl, we’re all for it—it’s about time those arches got a rest!
Far more inspiring are Barbie’s more serious changes. The new Barbie Fashionistas line will feature 23 dolls (each with a unique hair color!) with 22 different hair styles, a total of 18 eye colors, a variety of 14 different facial structures, and best of all, 8 diversified skin tones. Finally, Barbie’s on her way to resembling the most beautiful women of all—real women.
While Mattel’s changes have been rolling in quite slowly, and not without controversy along the way, this news stirs up newfound hope for the future of Barbie. While the new Barbie Fashionistas line may not be perfect—there’s still no word of healthy body proportions for the doll on the horizon— we’ve got our fingers crossed that this will only be the start of a whirlwind of improvements to the Barbie we grew up with.