2023-04-26 08:22:48
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — The “Mattel” toy company presented the first copy of the “Barbie” doll with Down syndrome, on Tuesday.
The new doll is part of the Mattel Barbie Fashionistas series, which aims to introduce Barbie doll personalities that reflect greater aesthetic diversity for children and combat stigma around physical disabilities.
Previous Mattel Barbie Fashionistas include a doll with a prosthetic leg, a doll that uses hearing aids, a doll that sits in a wheelchair, and a doll with vitiligo, a skin condition caused by patches of pigment loss. Gives the skin its colour.
As for the latest version of the Barbie doll in this series, Mattel indicated in a statement that it worked closely with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to design the doll’s shape, features, clothes, accessories, and packaging, to ensure that it accurately represents a person with Down syndrome.
This genetic condition (Down syndrome) affects cognitive ability, causing learning disabilities ranging from mild to severe, and facial distinguishing marks.
“This means a lot to our community, who for the first time can play with a Barbie that looks like them,” Candy Picard, president and CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), said in a statement. “This Barbie is a reminder that we should never underestimate the power of representation. It’s a huge step forward in inclusivity, and an event we celebrate,” he said.
Recently, Mattel has taken a more holistic approach to its 64-year-old Barbie brand. But the company has long faced criticism for idealizing the female body type, which has unrealistic proportions for girls.
For decades, since her debut in 1959, Barbie dolls have remained fair-skinned, white, slender, blonde, with extremely narrow waists, ample breasts and almost impossible-to-walk heels.
And this reality remained the same until sales of this doll decreased in 2016, so it was only from the “Mattel” company that it designed a more realistic Barbie by making the designs of the latest dolls more comprehensive and diverse in terms of appearance. Barbie is reintroduced with four body types, seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hair styles. This development continued with the “Barbie Fashionistas” series, launched three years later.
The latest fashion doll, which Mattel said has undergone professional medical review, features a new face and body shape representative of women with Down syndrome, with a shorter body and longer torso. The face is distinguished by its round shape, smaller ears, and a flat nose bridge, while the eyes tend to be slightly almond-shaped.
As for the palm of the hand, it contains one line, which is a characteristic often associated with Down syndrome, according to what was stated in the statement of the company, “Mattel”.
New Barbie wears a pink ankle and foot orthosis that matches the color of her dress, and the sneaker has a zip to represent children with Down syndrome, some of whom use orthotics to support the foot and ankle.
Mattel pointed out that the style of Barbie’s new dress with puffed sleeves features butterflies and yellow and blue colors, which are symbols and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness.
The pink doll necklace is equipped with three ascending V-shaped insignia, a symbol uniting the Down syndrome community, representing the three copies of chromosome 21, the genetic material that causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.
“Our goal is to enable all children to identify with Barbie, as well as to encourage children to play with dolls that don’t look like them,” Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President of Mattel and Global President of Barbie & Dolls, said in a statement.
McKnight added that Mattel’s goal with the doll is to “confront social stigma through play.”
And she continued, “Playing with dolls outside the framework of the child’s experience can teach him to understand the reality of the other, and build a greater sense of empathy for him.. We are proud to introduce the Barbie doll with Down syndrome to better reflect the world around us, and reinforce our commitment to celebrating inclusivity through play.”
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