Barbie’s had more looks than we’ll ever have in our lives, and her latest is a gamechanger. Ending a year that’s seen Barbie graduate, work as an engineer, be a pirate, Wonder Woman and Gigi Hadid, we’ll see the debut of the first ever Barbie to wear a hijab.
The new doll is based on American Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and is part of the ‘Shero’ line, honouring women who break boundaries. She joins gymnast Gabby Douglas, writer/director Ava Duvernay, plus-size model Ashley Graham, and ballerina Misty Copeland. It’s an impressively diverse group of Barbies who, let’s face it, is primarily known as tall, thin, blonde and big-boobed.
Muhammad apparently cried when she found out she was the new Barbie (who wouldn’t) before specifying that the doll must have dark eyeliner, strong legs, and a hijab, which she also asked to be made of thick material so as to not be see-through. She hopes that children will ‘take it off and try it on their other Barbies.’
Senior Vice-President of Barbie Strategy, Lisa McKnight, confirmed that this is just one of the first of many upcoming Barbies who will reflect inspirational women. They’re seeking real-life figures to base future dolls on, looking for ‘the trifecta – someone like Ibtihaj Muhammad, who has broken boundaries, and played with Barbies as a girl herself.’
It's worth noting that Mattel is a little bit behind the times. Hijarbie, as her creator Haneefa Adam calls her, has been going strong on Instagram for quite some time now. Nonetheless, this is another step in the right direction from Mattel, who have come under fire for propagating negative body image in the past. Since then they’ve released a range of Barbies to ‘allow girls to find a doll that speaks to them’, featuring different skin tones and body shapes. Whether it was truly an effort to ‘grow with the times’ or to save their flailing profits is open to debate, but whatever their motivation, it’s great to see Barbie reflecting the world around her – even if she is now juggling over 180 jobs.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.