It’s been a long time coming, but the unrealistic, unnatural-looking Barbie bod has been revamped with a host of hot new body sizes.
The thin waist, tiny limbs and overt bust has been overthrown, and the new Barbie Fashionistas line has now expanded to include curvy bodies, tall bodies and petite bodies.
Mattel has heard the cries of the people, and made the smart marketing move to push the brand into the allegiance of brands promoting body acceptance – think Dove and Aerie to name just two.
This week’s TIME magazine has also stepped up to mark the occasion, featuring a new look Barbie on the cover with the headline ‘Now can we stop talking about my body?’.
A new commercial is also doing the rounds thanks to acclaimed documentary maker Rory Kennedy.
Working with agency BBDO San Francisco, Kennedy crafted a mini-documentary featuring kids and Mattel execs (mostly designers) talking about the move to toward dolls with more realistic proportions.
https://youtu.be/vPETP7-UfuI
Support has come thick and fast on social media as well, with an overall ‘about time’ sentiment:
#TheDollEvolves #Barbie https://t.co/jl73PffZob
— Barbie (@Barbie) January 28, 2016
So Proud of Barbie for creating the new diverse barbies! So many different skin tones and body sizes #Barbie pic.twitter.com/AJpNDu2MkG
— Diaries Of Lea ✨ (@diariesoflea) January 28, 2016
This is fantastic! Girls + women don’t come in one shape and now #Barbie won’t either. https://t.co/0jshBvCqvx pic.twitter.com/2YuTAF3xiv
— SISUGIRLS (@SisuGirls) January 28, 2016
#barbie after 57 years she finally got hips! pic.twitter.com/7k2z9kJget
— Elana Rabinowitz (@ElanaRabinowitz) January 28, 2016
Say hello to the newest #Barbie! https://t.co/e4HO1sxVet https://t.co/FMQ6IpVsOx
— AOL.com (@AOL) January 28, 2016
