Barbie Has A Whole New Look

“Where’s my inclusive Ken?”

According to that Time article, at least part of the reason behind this new line is an attempt to win over more Millennial moms, and I think that shows in the product. “Her ability to evolve and grow with the times, while staying true to her spirit, is central to why Barbie is the number one fashion doll in the world”, Mattel President and CEO Richard Dickson said in a statement.

Ken’s origin story is a little different from his girlfriend’s. The original Barbie is still for sale as well.

“I don’t think what Barbie looks like is a trivial issue”, she said.

For the first nine years she was on sale, Barbie was only available in one color: white. They say if Mattel is truly striving for fair representation of different body types, the line should include but not be limited to transgender, disabled, overweight and postpartum bodies.

Her mother, Whintey Graham, added that “giving is in Gianni’s blood” and that she and Gianni donate and make cards for cancer patients at a local children’s hospital every Christmas.

Competitors mocked Barbie’s seemingly ideal appearance while promoting a new line of action figures for girls.

“It’s important for Barbies to look different”. So rather than challenging stereotypes about fat women, they’re choosing to reinforce what we already hear about ourselves constantly. Could it be because they’re more interested in not letting women have a goddamn moment of celebration than they are in actually advocating for more body diversity? Can the new focus on body image compete with the Bratz and Elsas of the toy world?

The old Barbie versus the new curvier version. As a plus-size woman myself, I’m over the moon that when my daughter saw the blue-haired, curvy doll, she asked if that was me and when we could get her (to which I replied, “You get your own, she’s mine!”).

Now, Twitter users are calling for Ken’s body to better represent the bodies of real men: the dad bod.

“This is the appropriate evolutionary step to keep Barbie as a cultural icon for parents to buy for their kids”, Copic said. It also helps us to be more accepting of others as well. We all have to spend our days stuck in stupid, uncooperative meat-sacks, so the least we can do is support media for all genders that makes living in those meat-sacks slightly more tolerable.

More information about ‘1K Barbiers For 1K Girls,’ including an address to send Barbies to, can be found on her project’s website.