Mattel's newest Barbies have no hair, prosthetics and vitiligo
This certainly isn’t your grandmother’s Barbie.
In a nod to diversity, Mattel’s latest line of dolls — the Fashionistas line — features an eclectic mix of shapes, sizes and hair colors.
The collection is meant to “celebrate diversity with unique fashion dolls that encourage real-world storytelling and open-ended dreams,” the company says on its website.
There are seven body types, nine skin tones, seven eye colors, 11 hair colors and 12 hairstyles. Some are in wheelchairs, some with prosthetic limbs, some with colored hair, others with no hair at all.
More skin tones!
More body types!
More unique looks!
Express yourself with #Barbie #Fashionistas – the most diverse doll line. ? Shop now: https://t.co/zTVjMZsjVy. #WeAreBarbie pic.twitter.com/l176Wvzj0z— Barbie (@Barbie) January 28, 2020
There’s even a Barbie with vitiligo areas on her face, neck and hands. Vitiligo is a condition in which blotches of skin lack pigment.
The company says the doll, created by Ruth Handler in 1959, “has continued to evolve over the years to better reflect the world girls see today, adding more diversity for endless storytelling possibilities.”
Judging from comments on the Mattel site, the new line has plenty of consumer support.
A consumer from Bloomfield, Mo., commented, “When we first got the vitiligo Barbie my daughter thought the Barbie had paint on her. I explained that some people have a condition that makes their skin like that. I think dolls like this help normalize different conditions and are fantastic.”
In reviewing Fashionista Doll #124 — which features a Barbie with a petite body in denim overalls, black boots a short mohawk with a green stripe — a New York resident wrote, “Can I just say how I LOVE the addition of androgynous looks?! I am non-binary myself and having a doll … that (has) a similar look is just amazing!”
A mom from Phoenix writes about Fashionista Doll #127, “I love that … not every Barbie must be tall and svelte blonde … shows our girls that every girl or woman is different but that even then we are all equally beautiful and worth the same.”
Chris Pastrick is a TribLive digital producer. An Allegheny County native, he began working for the Valley News Dispatch in 1993 and joined the Trib in 1997. He can be reached at cpastrick@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.