Barbie Breaks Her Stereotypes And Diversifies Beauty With Her New Curves

The most famous doll in all of history, and one of the most controversial, Barbie, finally leaves behind her stereotype of feminine beauty. She has changed her physical appearance to show girls more realistic versions of the female body.

For the first time since its appearance in March 1959, Mattel, the manufacturing company, has expanded its collection with three new models. They are different when it comes to their anatomy and have seven different skin colors.

There have been decades of criticism and controversy regarding the perfect measures. The doll influenced the concept of beauty for more than half a century.

However, the manufacturer meets the request of millions of people around the world. Thus, it has presented its new versions “ petite”, “tall” and “curvy” . With them,  the wrist will appear shorter, taller and with more curves, respectively.

Of all of them, the one that has attracted the most attention is the voluptuous one. She has larger hips and a silhouette that is very close to the model of real female beauty.

A new bet from Mattel

Barbie has kept that tall, slim figure for more than 50 years. A figure that was far from the reality of the female body. However, she encouraged girls around the world to seek a slimmer and “perfect” silhouette.

From its first versions it received strong criticism in this regard. He caused outrage at the concept of beauty that he drew in girls, beyond being a simple doll. And despite this, it  has been one of the most popular and sold toys, sweeping sales for decades around the world.

However, for Mattel everything has changed in recent years. Thus, the one that was for decades its best-selling toy is now in a crisis that year after year leaves millions of dollars in losses.

During 2012 there was a decrease in sales of 20% compared to previous years. The company wanted to innovate by launching collections with new professions and interesting accessories, but it did not regain its preferential place and the data for 2014 and 2015 showed that its sales had fallen even more.

The Barbie crisis

The arrival of dolls like Elsa – the star of the movie Frozen – generated losses for Mattel of up to 500 million dollars. It is true that Elsa is a blonde with measurements similar to those of Barbie. But it brings with it an example of strength and brotherhood that has caught the attention of girls and parents.

For this reason, Evelyn Mazzocco, vice president and general manager of the brand since 2014, undertook the task of investigating who hated the doll and what could be the reasons why she lost so many preferences.

The solution

After determining that parents were leaning toward more inspiring toys, he started Project Dawn. With him,  the company wanted to expand that vision of beauty that girls have from their early years.

“We believe that we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty,” said Mazzocco.

Among the changes, various skin tones and hair styles were also added. Also the ability to flex the foot to finally have the possibility of wearing shoes other than heels.

The answer

After officially announcing the new models through Barbie’s Twitter account, media such as the prestigious Time magazine dedicated their cover to her. They assured that it was one of the most important events for the commercial representation of the feminine corporal ideal.

However, they added that there is a risk of failing with this initiative due to the fact that the three new body models have been named and because it is unknown what the reactions will be. For this reason,  Mattel also prepares a special attention line with which it will try to solve the consequences of Project Amanecer .

The dolls are available for pre-order at shop.mattel.com and will be released to the public in February. The exhibition in physical stores in the United States will be in early March. From then on, they will also begin to be sent to other countries in the world.

Will the project be successful?  For now it is a very difficult question to solve. Perhaps in a few months the same company will be announcing the impact on the market and, above all, on a social level.