New Barbie doll creates more positive image

By: Mercede Kraabel

People have been saying that 2016 is the year of change. For the Barbie dolls, it is. For over five decades, Barbie had a tiny waist, stick thin legs and feet that looked like she was always wearing high heels, but no more. Mattel has just come out with three different body types. Barbie now is curvy, tall or petite. She also has more skins tones, hair styles and eye colors. Plus flat feet! Now Barbie can stand up without high heels.

Now what’s with this change? People have spoken, and they’ve done it with their dollars as Mattel’s sales on the Barbie dolls have gone down the past few years.

Parents have gotten fed up with the unrealistic figure that Barbie has. They’re saying that it is an unhealthy body type for kids to be around. In some ways, it is true.

Ever since Barbie first came out in 1951, there were people who didn’t accept her. They were saying (and still are) that Barbie has an unrealistic figure and that it’s “unhealthy” for girls to be around. Sadly, though Barbie has changed, young girls still see the women like her old self in the Photoshopped ads and magazine covers everywhere they go, so we can’t just put all the blame on the Barbie dolls for what girls think is healthy and unhealthy for body types.

Mattel Barbie sales have gone down the past couple years with the Legos company going up as the number one toy company as they put out learning toys for both boys and girls. Mattel also lost sales because of the shift from traditional toys toward electronics. Plus, parents are wanting toys that are genderless, so that also put a strain on the sales.

Mattel is hoping that their new Barbie dolls will make a difference in how young look at the world.