Mattel Launches Tall, Petite, and Curvy Barbie Dolls To Reflect Real Women’s Bodies
Barbie will now reflect a wide range of body types (Photo: Mattel)
Barbie is finally going to have a real body. Mattel announced today three new body types for the iconic doll. Tall, petite, and the one that is most gaming-changing, a curvy Barbie who rocks a little bit of a tummy, strong thighs and wider hips. Barbie is finally going to look like the majority of American women, who are a size 12 to 14. Michelle Chidoni Senior Director, Brand Communications North America at Mattel tells Yahoo Beauty: “We know the power and influence that Barbie has in a girl’s life—and that’s not something we take lightly.”
It’s a smart move in an era where brands from Lane Bryant to Dove are celebrating body confidence for all body types. It’s also a long-overdue response to the criticism of Barbie as a ridiculously proportioned almost caricature of a female body. If the original Barbie’s proportions were translated to real life, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, and 33" hips, a body that’s not possible without some sort of surgery. With sales dropping off the past few years, 20% lower in 2014, Barbie and her ridiculous body, was becoming dated.
Barbie’s new look includes TK dolls. (Photo: Mattel)
When the first Barbie doll was created by Ruth Handler she was based on a German doll called Lilli, a joke toy given to men on their bachelor parties as Lilli was supposed to be a prostitute. But Handler, who had a pre-teen daughter Barbara, had been wanting to create a doll that looked like an adult for her daughter to play with, not dolls that looked like babies or little girls. When Handler came across the Lilli doll on a trip to Europe, she decided to use her as inspiration to create her own more grown-up doll. It was the first time a doll with breasts had been marketed. But Handler was onto something, sales took off with Barbie becoming one of the most popular dolls ever created with 92% of American girls owning one.
Barbie’s new dolls are tall, curvy, and petite. (Photo: Mattel)
In addition to the four body types in the 2016 Barbie Fashionistas doll line, there will be seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, and 24 hairstyles. Mattel already made the move to add more diversity last year with more skin tones and hair styles including weaves. The hope is that most girls will be able to find a Barbie that resembles them. "Barbie has always given girls choices – from her 180 careers, to inspirational roles, to her countless fashions and accessories,“ said Evelyn Mazzocco, Senior Vice President and Global General Manager Barbie. "We are excited to literally be changing the face of the brand – these new dolls represent a line that is more reflective of the world girls see around them – the variety in body type, skin tones and style allows girls to find a doll that speaks to them.” Chidoni elaborates on that thought to Yahoo Beauty: “We’re excited about the message this can send to girls. It’s one of inclusion and diversity. And ultimately, it allows girls to do what they’ve always done with Barbie. To find things within the brand that speak to them and to enable them to tell more stories with Barbie.”
Social media is already exploding with mostly positive response. Here are a few examples:
Additional reporting on this story by Audrey Brashich
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