The multinational Mattel corporation has announced three new body shapes for its Barbie doll. Soon petite, tall, and curvy dolls will join the anatomically non viable classic Barbies scattered across the floors of girls around the globe. Given the “fashionista” variations in skin tones and hair texture, there will now be 33 types of Barbies, as varied as the young women playing with them.
But what about Hijab Barbie? And Lego just issued a minfigure in a wheelchair. Just sayin’.
More:
“Barbie Adds Curvy and Tall to Body Shapes,” Rachel Abrams, New York Times
“Barbie breaks the mold with ethnically diverse dolls,” Shan Li, Los Angeles Times
“Reality check: Barbie gets a body makeover,” France 24
“The Science of Barbie’s Effect on Girls’ Self-Esteem,” Francie Diep, Pacific Standard
“Barbie’s Hips Don’t Lie,” Megan Garber, The Atlantic
“Why a Barbie with textured hair and a curvy body matters,” Bené Viera, Fusion
“Fine, Let’s Talk About “DadBod Ken.” Carolyn Cox, The Mary Sue
“Mattel Can’t Update Barbie Without Running Into Updated Problems,” Kelly Faircloth, Jezebel
“Barbie: she’s 57 this year, but when will this toy truly grow up?” Yvonne Roberts, The Guardian
“Barbie’s Problem Is Far Beyond Skin-Deep,” Jill Filipovic, TIME
“With its new disabled figure, Lego has approached diversity issues in a very different way to Barbie,” Morwenna Jones, The Independent
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