Megan Reed, Campus Carrier Editor-in-Chief
The iconic Barbie just got a makeover.
Mattel, the maker of the popular doll, announced last week that it would be releasing new Barbies with three different body types—petite, tall and curvy. Barbie will also now be available with seven different skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. That’s quite the change from the standard tall, thin and blond doll that Mattel has been selling for about 50 years.
According to an article published Jan. 28 by the Washington Post, Mattel spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni said the company is releasing the new dolls to make “the line more reflective of the world girls see around them.”
Mattel is taking a step in the right direction by making Barbies more representative of the children who love to play with them, and Barbie’s popularity may make other companies follow Mattel’s example. The “Imagine the Possibilities” commercial released last year, which depicted girls playing the roles of a professor, a veterinarian, a businesswoman, a museum tour guide and a sports coach told girls that they could pursue any career they could imagine. Now, Mattel is showing girls that no matter what they look like, their favorite toy can look like them, too.
Barbie has not always sent such a positive message, however. In 2011, Hamilton College student Galia Slayen created a life size model of what Barbie would look like if she were a real woman, basing her measurements on data from the book “Body Wars” by Margo Maine. Barbie, Slayen said, would be 5’9” tall, weigh about 110 pounds, have an 18 inch waist and wear a size 3 shoe. She would also likely be unable to walk due to her uneven proportions.
Most people who play with Barbie dolls are too young to understand the implications of Slayen’s research or to even notice the size of Barbie’s waist or wonder how tall she would be. However, many girls — and boys, too — are frequently exposed to Barbie dolls. Barbies have become a staple of childhood playtime, and according to Mattel, three dolls are sold worldwide every second. Increasing diversity in dolls may seem trivial and meaningless, but for many children, it will be the first time that their favorite toy looks like them, their friends and the people in their communities. Barbie may be able to have any career imaginable, but if she looks nothing like the children for whom the dolls are designed, it is more difficult for a child to truly see themselves in those roles.
Mattel is making this change following decades of criticism from people who did not see themselves or their children reflected in Barbie. Mattel has been paying the price of this consumer criticism — Barbie sales fell 14 percent in the most recent quarter, and global sales have been slipping since 2012, according to the previously cited Washington Post article. Also, body-positive, seemingly feminist advertising messages have become a recent trend, with other brands such as Pantene and Always creating commercials encouraging girls and women to be proud of their identities. It is possible that Mattel is simply joining the crowd with the Barbie rebranding. However, regardless of Mattel’s intentions, the effects will be more positive than negative, as girls all around the world will now be able to see a character and role model who looks like them.
The new Barbies are available for preorder on the Mattel website and will be released in the United States in March. The original Barbie will also still be available.
And while these changes will make Barbie more representative of her female fans, the many boys around the world who also enjoy spending time with Barbie and her friends still have limited options.
It might be time for Ken to get a makeover, too.