Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, And Other Historic Women Are Being Made Into Barbies
By Amanda Froelich Truth Theory
The world is drastically changing — and so are female role models. Gone are the days of glamorizing celebrities, such as the Kardashians and Paris Hilton. Today, young girls and grown women are looking to historical figures, such as Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, and Katherine Johnson, for inspiration. Mattel, the maker of Barbie, recognizes this, which is why it is releasing a new line of Barbies based on historic women — just in time for International Women’s Day.
The dolls are part of a new series called “Inspiring Women.” According to The Huffington Post, the Barbies will be mass produced and sold in stores. Though the toy company does not have an exact date for when dolls will hit the shelves, it did share that each toy will come with educational information about the women who inspired it.
Said Lisa McKnight, the senior vice president and general manager of Barbie, in a press release: “As a brand that inspires the limitless potential in girls, Barbie will be honoring its largest line up of role models timed to International Women’s Day, because we know that you can’t be what you can’t see. Girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real life role models to remind them that they can be anything.”
Every woman in the series has changed the world in some way or another. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Mexican artist Kahlo is remembered for her unique painting style and her feminist activism. Johnson, who was portrayed in the 2016 film Hidden Figures, calculated dozens of trajectories for NASA, including the 1969 Apollo 11 Flight to the moon. As a result, she proved there is a place for black women in mathematics. The 99-year-old worked closely with Mattel to create her doll.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, Mattel also designed a Barbie “Shero” line which honors 14 modern-day role models from around the world. Unlike the “Inspiring Women” line, these dolls (which recognize women who have broken boundaries) won’t be available in stores.
Some of the inspiring women being honored by the Shero line include Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins, director Ava DuVernay, actress Emmy Rossum, Australian wildlife conservationist Bindi Irwin, and ballerina Misty Copeland.
Check out photos of Barbie’s new “Shero” line below:
(found on The Huffington Post)
Spanish entrepreneur and fashion designer Vicky Martin Berrocal; Chinese actress and philanthropist Xiaotong Guan; Australian wildlife conservationist Bindi Irwin; Italian soccer player Sara Gama; American Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim.
From left to right: Polish journalist Martyna Wojciechowska; British boxing champion Nicola Adams; Chinese prima ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan; American filmmaker and “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins.
From left to right: Polish journalist Martyna Wojciechowska; British boxing champion Nicola Adams; Chinese prima ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan; American filmmaker and “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins. From left to right: World-renowned French chef Hélène Darroze; Chinese volleyball champion Hui Ruoqi; German designer and entrepreneur Leyla Piedayesh.
Image Credit: Barbie
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