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New York (Trends Wide) — Mattel presented this Tuesday the first version of the Barbie doll that represents a person with Down syndrome.
The new doll is part of Mattel’s Barbie Fashionistas line, which aims to offer children more diverse representations of beauty and fight the stigma surrounding physical disabilities.
Previous Barbie Fashionistas included a doll with a prosthetic leg, one with headphones, another in a wheelchair, and a doll with vitiligo, a skin condition that causes the skin to lose its pigmentation.
In the case of the new Barbie Fashionista, Mattel says it worked closely with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) on the doll’s shape, features, clothing, accessories and packaging to ensure that it faithfully represents a person with Down syndrome. This genetic disorder affects cognitive ability and causes mild to severe learning difficulties and distinctive facial features.
“This means a lot to our community, who for the first time can play with a Barbie doll that looks just like them,” Kandi Pickard, NDSS President and CEO, said in a statement. “This Barbie reminds us to never underestimate the power of representation. It’s a huge step forward for inclusion and a moment we celebrate.”
Mattel recently took a more inclusive approach to its iconic 64-year-old Barbie brand. But the company has long faced criticism for giving girls a model of a female body type with unrealistic proportions.
For decades after their debut in 1959, Barbie dolls remained fair-skinned, slender, blonde, with a very narrow waist, ample breasts, and always wobbling on impossibly high heels.
Finally, in 2016, faced with declining sales of the doll, Mattel transformed Barbie into a more realistic representation by making the new dolls look more inclusive and diverse. Barbie was reintroduced with four body types and seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, and 24 hairstyles. Her evolution continued with Barbie Fashionistas, which arrived three years later.
The latest Fashionista doll, which Mattel says was supervised by a medical professional, features a new face and body sculpt that illustrates that of women with Down syndrome, with a shorter body and longer torso. The face features a more rounded shape, smaller ears, and a flat nose bridge, while the eyes are slightly slanted to an almond shape.
Their palms include a single line, a feature often associated with people with Down syndrome, according to Mattel.
The new Barbie doll wears a pink ankle brace to match her dress and her sneakers are zipped up to represent children with Down syndrome, some of whom wear orthotics to give their feet and ankles more support.
Mattel explained that the new Barbie’s puff-sleeved dress features butterflies and yellow and blue colors, symbols and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness.
And the doll’s pink pendant necklace with three upturned chevrons, a symbol uniting the Down syndrome community, represents the three copies of chromosome 21, which is the genetic material that causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.
“Our goal is to empower all children to see themselves in Barbie, while encouraging children to play with dolls that do not look like them,” Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s executive vice president and global head of global marketing, said in a statement. Barbie and Dolls.
McKnight said Mattel’s goal with the doll is to “counter social stigma through play.”
“Play with dolls outside of a child’s own lived experience can teach understanding and create a greater sense of empathy… We are proud to introduce a Barbie doll with Down syndrome to better reflect the world around us and foster our commitment to celebrate inclusion through play,” he said.
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