Say ‘Goodbye’ to the Cookie Cutter Barbie Doll
January 29, 2016
The new 2016 Barbie is said to fit the realistic body standards of today.
In a statement in Cosmopolitan by Evelyn Mazzocco, senior vice president and global general manager for Barbie said, “We are excited to literally be changing the face of the brand — these new dolls represent a line that is more reflective of the world girls see around them — the variety in body type, skin tones and style allows girls to find a doll that speaks to them.”
The new line of Barbie will include 3 new body types, 7 skin tones, 22 eye colors, 24 hairstyles, and a variety of current clothing and accessories. Online sales will begin next week and new dolls will be going on sale in stores on March 1. It is said that 33 new dolls will be released by the end of the year.
Mattel, the maker of Barbie, started the #TheDollEvolves campaign after facing backlash over the years about the dolls portraying unattainable body standards for young girls and a single type of beauty that not everyone fits. Using a more obvious body positive group of dolls it is obvious that Mattel is trying to combat that image.
According to TIME’s cover special on the new Barbie design, “They’ll all be called Barbie, but it’s the curvy one—with meat on her thighs and a protruding tummy and behind—that marks the most startling change to the most infamous body in the world.”
The new line of Barbie will debut with 4 body types: Original, Curvy, Tall, and Petite. Beyond that, the dolls will be fully customizable from hair color, clothing trends, and career choice. The new doll design fits almost perfectly with the widely popular ‘Imagine the Possibilities’ commercial Barbie released at the end of 2015.
Time will tell if the changes made to the iconic Barbie doll will have the effects Mattel hopes for on the lives of young girls, but it is no doubt that Barbie just received the most revolutionary design change in her history.