Barbie has always been an iconic staple in the toy world. For decades, the doll has constantly evolved and that trend continues with Barbie standing up for women’s’ rights! Toy makers of the popular doll, Mattel, are now honoring civil rights activist Rosa Parks with her very own Barbie doll for Women’s Equality Day! The day is celebrated on August 26th nationwide. The Rosa Parks doll is one of a collection of new dolls unveiled in dedication to inspiring women in America.
The ‘Inspiring Women Series’ dolls are based on historical figures and come with educational information about the contributions each woman made to society, according to CNN. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, is also included in the honorary series.
Mattel unveiled the ‘Inspiring Women Series’ to mark International Women’s Day last year, with 17 new dolls representing real women serving as role models that include Olympic snowboarding champion Chloe Kim, artist, and activist Frida Kahlo and Wonder Woman filmmaker Patty Jenkins.
Time magazine reports the company’s decision for the series was based on a global survey of mothers, in which 86% said they were worried about the kind of role models their daughters were exposed to.
Over the last three years, the toy company has taken many strides to increase inclusion with its dolls. In 2016, Mattel released three new body types for Barbie: curvy, petite and tall. They followed up with the introduction of new skin tones and hair textures in 2017. The first Barbie to wear a hijab was also introduced in 2017, and earlier this year, Mattel introduced a wheelchair Barbie and one with a prosthetic leg.
Barbie is not playing around with the diversity and inclusion! Girl Power!
Source: Barbie/Mattel / Barbie/Mattel
Source: Baller Alert
