With the upcoming release of "Barbie Barbie", it is estimated that there will be another wave of Barbie fever. Before the release, let's take a look at how Barbie embarked on the road of diversity!
The much-anticipated movie "Barbie Barbie" is about to be released, and some people are discussing whether this is a feminist movie. This question, you can keep in your mind first.
You are invited to ask yourself first, what does Barbie mean to you?
Down syndrome, Asian Pacific Islander – Barbie who also deserves to be seen
"Blonde, ant waist, long legs", this should be the general impression of Barbie. Recently, Barbie manufacturer Mattel partnered with the National Down Syndrome Association to launch the first Down Syndrome Barbie. This Down Barbie's face shape and facial features are adjusted to the appearance of Down children.
In addition, the costume design is also ingenious, combining butterflies and blue and yellow flowers representing Tang's children. British model Gostein, who is also a Down patient, and French city councilor Laloth said that they were cute and close to themselves after seeing it.
In addition, in order to commemorate the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Mattel also launched Asian Barbie, which is based on Huang Liu Shuang, a senior Chinese actress from Hollywood. New York State Congressman Meng Zhaowen believes that this doll affirms Huang Liu Shuang's contribution and also shows the importance of Asian women to American society.
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Photo by Ellie Goldstein @ IG
Barbie trend and transformation road
Barbie was invented by Ruth Handler and was first exposed at the 1959 International Toy Show in New York. Barbie sells well all over the world, not only has become a long-selling toy, her beautiful blonde hair, delicate face and tall body are popular among women, but also become a fashion darling, further affecting the public's aesthetics.
Under the "Barbie syndrome", some people will deliberately lose weight and plastic surgery to become a real "Barbie on Earth". As a toy-born Barbie, Barbie has also been attacked for misleading children's definition and value of beauty.
With the evolution of society, Barbie's white and thin beauty image has been impacted by multiple values. In order to reverse the public's single stereotype of Barbie, Mattel launched the first black female Barbie in 1968, and since 1989, it has successively launched a series of professional Barbie, including pilots, firefighters, presidents, astronauts Barbie, etc. who used to be mostly male.
However, in 2015, Barbie sales still fell to the lowest level of $900 million in recent years, and Mattel continued to innovate and launched a variety of Barbie with different skin tones, hair types, and body types. Since 2017, male Barbie Ken has also had more characteristics, such as tied bags, corn heads and freckles. In 2019, Barbie with disabilities was launched, such as Barbie in a wheelchair and with a prosthetic leg.
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Image | Barbie @ IG
Flip the value of toys and practice the power of diversity and inclusion
We can see that over the past 60 years, Mattel has faced the challenge of Barbie's cultural status, mass aesthetics, and brand promotion of gender equality and diversity, and they have continuously incorporated more skin tones, hairstyles, pupil colors and body types of Barbie, bringing multicultural perspectives into the toy industry.
Barbie's ability to maintain its classic and undefeated toys may be related to the brand's commitment to showing women's empowerment and diversity, and McKnight, senior vice president of Barbie brand, once said: "Barbie inspires the infinite potential of every little girl, so that it can maintain a place in the market."
From Mattel's "Daybreak Project", which hopes to include multiple types of Barbie, to the "Dream Project", which focuses on women's developmental disabilities, women are encouraged to realize their potential, and it is hoped that the society's attention to Barbie will bring more inspiration than Barbie itself.
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Image | Barbie @ IG
Barbie dolls are no longer just toys, the embodiment of diverse Barbie shoulders social and educational significance. In terms of social aspects, the emergence of Down Barbie reminds the public not to underestimate the power of symbols, and also reflects the inclusiveness of society; In terms of education, Diversified Barbie allows different children to find themselves in Barbie dolls, and can also empathize with those dolls that are different from themselves.
Whether it is the transformation of Barbie itself, or the arrangement and appeal of actors in the new movie, it can be seen that the spirit of diversity and inclusion is fermenting bit by bit.