Barbie Adds Ashley Graham Doll To Its List of ‘Sheroes’

Barbie has created an Ashley Graham doll in celebration of the plus-size model and her importance in the fight for tolerance and body acceptance.

BARBIE CREATES SPECIAL ASHLEY GRAHAM DOLL

Barbie has long been criticized for showing only one body-type, which happens to be completely unattainable. The doll has become a symbol of the unrealistic beauty standards that are placed on women today. In 2015, Barbie rejuvenated its brand and created dolls of multiple shapes and skin tones, so that every girl can find her perfect Barbie.

“Some people have seen her as polarizing, they didn’t see what the brand stood for, and it wasn’t reflective of their values,” says Lisa McKnight, SVP for Mattel’s Barbie brand. “So we went back to our heritage and the origin of the brand.” The brand is not just trying to up their marketing, but really want to try to make a difference in the world and in how women are viewed and view themselves. “We felt early on, for a girl to see it is to be it,” McKnight said. “We want to really make sure we’re promoting and telling little girls they can be anything.”

Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief at Glamour believes in this new Barbie message, and her magazine featured the new line of dolls. “I approached it with some uncertainty of whether it would be a meaningful change in these doll’s shapes,” Leive said. “And it really was, and I was so impressed with their commitment to modernizing the way they talk to girls.”

The magazines Women of the Year Awards happened yesterday, and Graham was honored with the doll of herself. Mattel has no plans to sell the doll to the public, but they have produced other Sheroes for little girls, like dancer Misty Copeland‘s. Other women featured in the capsule line include director Ava DuVernay, actress Zendaya and Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas.