Barbie Redefined
As of 2016, Barbie will welcome three new members into its community. No longer will it be one size fits all.
Since 1959, Barbie has been a prominent figure for children. However, the brand has had a bad reputation when it comes to an unrealistic example of how a body should look.
The company has been trying to reinvent itself, and its solution was to create a campaign titled, #TheDollsEvolve, by promoting a new line called the Fashionistas.The line was released online on Jan. 28 and will appear later this year in retail stores.
With the new approach, the brand hopes to create a more diverse world for children to play with and relate to.
These dolls will feature three new body figures, curvy, tall, and petite. The series will also include a combination of seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 types of hair.
This could take weight off of children’s shoulders and not be pressured with society’s standards.
Child Development professor Rania Salman said she believes the dolls are a good first step in the right direction and better for a child’s psyche.
“They’re offering not just one choice but, four different body styles and different ethnicities,” Salman said. “That’s really relevant because girls want to play with things that look like them.”
International Studies major Basima Rukhsar said she wished that Barbie had the Fashionistas while growing up because the original dolls gave her a negative view of herself.
“I viewed them as the perfect body type a person should be: blonde hair, stick thin and no thighs,” Rukhsar said.
After giving it some thought, Rukhsar said that she wished she could go back and reverse her previous mindset because the mainstream media and companies have too much influence on how people should look.
“It should be a representation of girls of all shapes, sizes and colors,” Rukhsar said.
On the other hand, RTVF major Cynthia Serrano saw the doll as a neutral image while growing up.
“It didn’t really necessarily reflect my own appearance on the doll,” Serrano said. “I just thought of the doll as a toy to play with.”
Serrano said that as long as Barbie continues doing all the careers and ventures, it should not matter what she looks like.
