Mattel, maker of the world-famous Barbie doll, released a new line of Barbies based off of inspiring women in honor of International Women’s Day. The “Inspiring Women” dolls, which will honor 17 women, includes historical figures such as American pilot Amelia Earhart, renowned NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, and Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Modern-day figures will also be added as a part of the “Shero” line of dolls launched in 2015, such as Olympian Chloe Kim and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins. Previous honorees in the “Shero” line included ballerina Misty Copeland, director Ava DuVernay, and model Ashley Graham. Mattel released a statement saying that “Barbie honors women who have broken boundaries in their fields and have been an inspiration to the next generation of girls with a one-of-a-kind doll made in their likeness.”
However, there is also controversy surrounding the new line of Barbies. Many fans - including actress Salma Hayek, who was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of the late artist in the 1995 movie Frida - are upset that Mexican artist Frida Kahlo wasn’t portrayed accurately, as her iconic unibrow is noticeably absent on the doll. Adding fuel to the fire is Kahlo’s family, who insist that Mattel was not authorized to create a doll based on Kahlo. However, Mattel stated that they got the rights to reproduce the artist’s image more than a decade ago from Kahlo’s niece, Isolda Pinedo Kahlo.
The “Inspiring Women” will include 14 historical Barbies and will come with an informational packet containing a short history of these women, with more dolls to be added in the future. Only three dolls - the Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, and Katherine Johnson dolls - are currently on sale on the Mattel website for $29.99. Although there is no specific release day announced yet, the dolls will eventually be sold in stores across the nation.
It’s definitely nice to see Barbie embracing different backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities, especially since the dolls are regularly seen as a negative influence on girls with their unrealistic standards of beauty. Barbie voiced their hopes to inspire girls around the world with the dolls, stating that "girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real life role models to remind them that they can be anything.”
However, there is also controversy surrounding the new line of Barbies. Many fans - including actress Salma Hayek, who was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of the late artist in the 1995 movie Frida - are upset that Mexican artist Frida Kahlo wasn’t portrayed accurately, as her iconic unibrow is noticeably absent on the doll. Adding fuel to the fire is Kahlo’s family, who insist that Mattel was not authorized to create a doll based on Kahlo. However, Mattel stated that they got the rights to reproduce the artist’s image more than a decade ago from Kahlo’s niece, Isolda Pinedo Kahlo.
The “Inspiring Women” will include 14 historical Barbies and will come with an informational packet containing a short history of these women, with more dolls to be added in the future. Only three dolls - the Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, and Katherine Johnson dolls - are currently on sale on the Mattel website for $29.99. Although there is no specific release day announced yet, the dolls will eventually be sold in stores across the nation.
It’s definitely nice to see Barbie embracing different backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities, especially since the dolls are regularly seen as a negative influence on girls with their unrealistic standards of beauty. Barbie voiced their hopes to inspire girls around the world with the dolls, stating that "girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real life role models to remind them that they can be anything.”