After years of producing dolls with unrealistic body shapes that are focused on beauty and fashion, more and more manufacturers are now making career oriented dolls that little girls can look up to.
Some are making them with more realistic body types and others are making dolls with interesting careers that girls can look up to as role models.
Little girls will now aspire to be pilots, artists, and mathematicians instead of just pretty, popular, or someone girlfriend thanks to Mattel’s new “Inspiring Women” line which features prominent women in history.
According to Huffington Post, each doll will come with educational information about each of the women that the doll is based on.
Barbie has revealed that famous female icons like pilot Amelia Earhart, artist Frida Kahlo, and mathematician Katherine Johnson will be featured dolls as a part of the line.
Johnson, who is now 99-years-old, worked very closely with Mattel to make sure her doll looked just like her.
You won’t, however, find Kahlo’s signature unibrow on her doll which, according to New York Times, was criticized by the artist’s relatives.
“I would have liked the doll to have traits more like Frida’s, not this doll with light-colored eyes,” Kahlo’s alleged great niece Mara Romeo told Agence France-Presse. “It should be a doll that represents everything my aunt represented, her strength.”
Some said Kahlo’s doll looks more like Mexican singer and actress Bibi Gaytán.
Barbie is also coming out with a Shero line while there will be a total of 14 dolls modeled after modern-day female role models from around the world.
Some of the dolls modeled after these boundary-breaking women will be available for purchase in stores, while others won’t.
“As a brand that inspires the limitless potential in girls, Barbie will be honoring its largest line up of role models timed to International Women’s Day, because we know that you can’t be what you can’t see,” Senior Vice President and General Manager of Barbie Lisa McKnight said in a press release.
“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.”
The line includes Olympians, directors, conservationists, actresses, ballerinas, fashion designers, journalists, and more.
The news comes are a result of a Mattel survey of 8,000 moms where 86 percent of them reported that they were concerned about role models for their daughters.
“86% of moms surveyed are worried about the kind of role models their daughters are exposed to,” Barbie’s website read. “That’s why Barbie continues to showcase examples of inspirational women. From Sheroes to Inspiring Women, meet our latest Barbie role models–all extraordinary women we’ve honored with a doll in their likeness.”
Some of the dolls include snowboarding champion Chloe Kim, filmmaker Patty Jenkins, boxing champion Nicola Adams Obe, fencing champion Ibtihaj Muhammad, conservationist BindiIrwin, and model/body activist Ashley Graham.
You can check out the Inspiring Women series, which retails for $29.99, here and Shero dolls here.
Mattel’s Fashionista line also features a variety of male and female dolls in all different shapes and sizes.
They also have a really cool Career Dolls line that features chefs, paleontologists, martial artists and more.
Many are excited to see what the future holds for this new generation of little girls who have toys based strong and powerful female role models.
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