Mattel thrilled body-positive activists this week with the arrival of a new collection of dolls with diverse body types. It’s an unprecedented move, and, for those of us who have lived our lives in Barbie’s stick-thin shadow, an exciting one! Mothers everywhere are thrilled to be able to give their daughters a new generation of beautiful, diverse, and curvy dolls to fat-shame.
“When I was growing up, it was impossible to find dolls that looked like the kids I ruthlessly bullied,” says Eileen, a mother of three children.
“I love my new Barbie,” says Clara, age 7. “But my other Barbies make fun of her because she’s different.”
“Now where would you have gotten that idea?” interjects Eileen, covering Clara’s mouth.
Mattel has been working for over two years to reflect the realistic body types and diversity of the children who play with their dolls, making them even easier for cold-hearted boys and girls to insult based on their appearance.
“But my new Barbie is okay,” adds Clara. “She’s always there for my other Barbies when they’re going through a breakup, even though my older Barbies ignored her for a really long time.”
Many organizations are praising Mattel for taking the leap to eliminate unrealistic beauty standards and replace them with much more reasonable standards by which to judge other women.
Clara adds: “I just love dolls!”
