Have you ever met a woman who beat Neil Armstrong to the moon or ran for president seven times? You have now. When our co-founder Ruth Handler observed her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls for hours, she saw the future — and created a doll that showed the world and girls everywhere they had choices. Barbie® doll was designed to be dressed and styled, allowing girls to explore their future through play.
“This piece really means a lot to me. I definitely grew up playing [with] Barbies. A lot of Barbies I had were hand-me-downs that had their hair cut off and tattoos drawn on them, or ones that weren’t played with as much — ones my cousin experimented on. That developed my love for a Barbie that was a little more edgy and different. I have a six-year-old daughter now that loves Barbie. Seeing the difference from when I was younger and what’s available now with all the diversity is just super inspiring. It really aligns with my work, shedding light on a wide range of people, and I was excited about doing this piece.”
“I was inspired by the documentary ‘Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie’ because it showed a very real, raw side of Barbie. One thing that stuck out to me was when they showed the first Barbie ever created. She had fair skin and was wearing this black-and-white striped outfit, and it was her shining moment where she became an icon.
“I took that moment and created that experience for a more diverse group of women, and for Barbie. I’m always telling the stories of women and putting the spotlight on women, especially Black and brown women. I thought it was cool to give that moment to more people, and I reflected that in my work.”
“It’s honestly been a dream. It’s so nice to see people that are still passionate about what they’re doing, and who allowed me the space to put a spotlight on Black and brown Barbies, because it’s very important right now. The world is really listening to that story right now and understanding why Black and brown stories are so important. They knew I would speak to diversity, and I wanted to make sure I really used this opportunity to do that. They made it very easy for me, which I appreciate.”
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