Mattel just gave Barbie a new body.
Actually, three new bodies that better reflect today’s woman: petite, curvy and tall. She’ll also come in 7 skin tones, 22 eye colors, and 24 hairstyles.
Barbie has created a ton of controversy since her birth. Allow Time Magazine to explain:
“As much as Mattel has tried to market her as a feminist, Barbie’s famous figure has always overshadowed her business outfits. At her core, she’s just a body, not a character, a canvas upon which society can project its anxieties about body image. ‘Barbie has all this baggage,’ says Jess Weiner, a branding expert and consultant who has worked with Dove, Disney and Mattel to create empowering messaging for girls. ‘Her status as an empowered woman has been lost.’”
This is Barbie’s biggest change in over 57 years, and it’s a game changer as far as American beauty ideals go.
“Yes, some people will say we are late to the game,” Evelyn Mazzocco, global general manager for Barbie, told Time Magazine. “But changes at a huge corporation take time.”
Already available for pre-order on the Mattel website, the three new versions of the doll join the continuing Barbie Fashionistas line.
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This post, Mattel Just Gave Barbie A ‘Curvy’ Body, by Mallory Llewellyn, appeared first on Galore.