There is finally a doll that we can all relate to, and guess what? The brand has been here for over 50 years!
I’m sure all of you know what I’m talking about … Barbie!
Barbie has finally entered the world of true diversity with Mattel's release of 33 new dolls, which includes three new body shapes (petite, tall, and curvy), seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 14 “face sculpts."
What drove Barbie to go toward this new branding?
In the past four years, sales of the doll have declined. And customers haven’t been happy with Barbie for years.
Many voiced their opinion by saying Barbie was unrealistic with her proportions, her look in general, and her lack of diversity. Few kids can pick up a Barbie and say, “Hey! She looks like me!” Instead, young girls are saying, “Why don’t I look like my Barbie?”
With the way society places negative and unrealistic ideas in young girls heads, we don’t need a Barbie doll planting those ideas as well.
The only time the doll was selling well was when Mattel released “Exclusive” Barbies. Another sales boost came from the Elsa Barbie doll, which only helped sales for a short period of time when "Frozen" was at its popularity peak.
Then there was the Zendaya Barbie doll. This was also the beginning of Barbie entering the world of diversity when it came to skin tone and texture of hair. Though Christie, the first black Barbie, has had her run, she was just as unrealistic as the original Barbie.
Barbie saw its highest sale this holiday season in the past four years because of the rebranding.
But during Zendaya’s release, other stars felt it was unfair, because the shape of the Barbie was still very “Barbie,” and they felt there needed to be a curvy doll. For example, Demi Lovato tweeted:
“Hey @Barbie, what about a curvy doll or one with true to size measurements? I’ll model!! #raiseyourvoice #BeSuper”
Just recently, Barbie released another “Exclusive” Barbie, Ava DuVernay, the first-ever black woman director to inspire a Barbie doll. The doll sold out in a matter of hours.
I guess Mattel and Barbie finally got the hint — diversity and being realistic is key.
Now these Barbies make children happy, because they can finally look at Barbie and say “Hey, this Barbie looks like me!” Adults can say the same.
It brings so much more positivity to body image and self-love. We can finally help young girls to learn to love themselves no matter what they look like with the help of Barbie dolls, something we weren’t able to do some generations ago.
Now that they have remodeled Barbie, everyone is demanding that Ken get a make over too. #DadBodKen. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
