As a kid, I was not exactly a girly girl, but I did absolutely adore my Barbie dolls. To me, Barbies were full of stories — sometimes they’d be spies, other times they’d be rockstars. Sometimes I’d have them act out my favorite movie plots, or sometimes they’d just go on vacation. They all had different names and personalities. I spent countless hours with my little sister creating worlds with our dolls. I watched all the Barbie movies, which usually focused on friendship and kindness and which, incidentally, all pass the Bechdel Test. That is what Barbie meant to me as a child.
Needless to say, the direction that Barbie has taken in my young-adult years has completely pleased me. Barbie launched the “You Can Be Anything!” campaign, which encourages girls to pursue their dreams and simultaneously shows off the wide variety of careers and hobbies that Barbie has had. It’s not just the stereotypical Barbie jobs of modeling and starring in movies — Barbie has been an astronaut, a presidential candidate, a racecar driver, a doctor, a teacher and, most recently, a video game developer among other careers.
I’d been hearing about this in passing, but it wasn’t until about a week ago that it really hit me: Barbie supports girls in everything. I was in a bit of a slump from thinking too much about my future when I stumbled across this video. Within it, Barbie talks about how art and science don’t have to be separate, and she encourages young girls to be anything and everything they want to be. This was the sort of thing missing from Barbie when I was growing up but is now available for millions of little girls to hear.
Not only does the modern Barbie campaign encourage girls to follow their dreams, but also as of January, for the first time since the Barbie doll was created in 1959, the Barbie doll now comes in four body types — original, tall, petite and curvy. Additionally, more skin tones, hair colors and face templates were released. Growing up, I’d always preferred the dolls with dark hair because I could pretend they were me. Now, little girls everywhere will have more options to find the doll best suited for them.
Of course, Barbie is not perfect and has had plenty of controversies in the past, but it is now the start of a new era — one where the child’s toy is not just a fashion doll, but a way to encourage children to pursue their dreams and to empower girls everywhere.
Photo credit: www.ibtimes.co.uk, www.therockfather.com