2023-05-10 12:56:56
A new Barbie doll with Down Syndrome aims to make people more inclusive. But not everyone is happy with the implementation.
Munich – Actually, the new Barbie doll, which the US company Mattel sells, is supposed to stand for inclusion. To reflect human diversity in Barbie dolls, the toymaker announced on April 25 that it was launching a doll with Down syndrome. This is intended to combat stigmatization. However, the idea has also met with criticism. The Barbie doll is only meant to be a marketing strategy and doesn’t look authentic.
| Introducing the first Barbie doll | March 9, 1959 |
| inventor | Ruth Handler / Mattel |
| Name role model | Ruth Handler’s daughter Barbara |
| Dimensions of the first Barbie doll | 99-46-84 cm |
Down Syndrome Barbie: “Implementation just half-hearted” – reactions are mixed
Anyone who is an adult today and played with barbies as a child will remember very thin and blond women with large busts and flawless faces. For some time now, toy manufacturers like Mattel have been trying to complement outdated ideals of beauty with more human diversity. The newly launched Barbie doll with Down Syndrome is therefore intended to enable more inclusion.
On Instagram, the account practiced “notjustdownCriticism of the new Barbie. The account is for the siblings Marian and Tabea. Marian has Down Syndrome and together the two share their life with over 70,000 followers. In their story, they shared a picture of Down Syndrome Barbie. They described the doll as “likeable” and “naturally proportioned”. However, whether she had Down syndrome was commented on with an emoji shrugging his shoulders. “By the way, we don’t know of any adult with Down syndrome who wears such orthotics,” they wrote in their story.
Half-hearted implementation and big marketing strategy – criticism of the Down Syndrome Barbie
“Nevertheless, one should keep in mind that it is ultimately just a big marketing strategy for Mattel. I just find the implementation half-hearted,” added the account in its story. They don’t find the implementation successful either. It is questioned whether “slanter eyes and more natural proportions than usual Barbies” would mean Down syndrome. The account can even imagine that the orthotics were added as an extra, since you can’t immediately tell that the Barbie has Down’s Syndrome.
The games company Mattel should say goodbye to the “alien beauty picture of Barbie”, as the siblings wrote. The company should not only suggest naturalness, but also depict it. The British model Ellie Goldstein and face of the new Barbie, however, sees it differently. As a person with Down Syndrome, she is thrilled that this Barbie exists. “When I saw the doll I was so emotional and proud,” she wrote in an April 25 Instagram post. “It means a lot to me that children can play with the doll and learn that everyone is different,” she added.
While the siblings aren’t happy with the new Barbie, they made it clear that developing Mattel’s Barbie dolls is “cool.” The company has already produced several diverse Barbies. The manufacturer also comes up with something for special occasions. For the Queen’s 70th Jubilee, Mattel produces a Queen Barbie. (vk)
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