Gone are the days of only being able to buy a blond-haired, blue-eyed Barbie. In fact, you can now buy Barbies crafted after real women who have done some pretty incredible things. The latest additions to the Mattel line include Rosa Parks and Sally Ride. Each doll comes with educational material about the respective women.
Sally Ride was the first American woman, as well as the youngest American, to go to space in 1983. Specifically (and most famously) she rode the Space Shuttle Challenger on a six-day mission where, among other things, she used the shuttle’s robotic arm to deploy communication satellites.
Although she wasn’t publicly out until her death (her obituary referenced her same-sex partner of nearly three decades), she was also a lesbian. Even after she retired from NASA, she became an icon and author for young girls who were interested in science and math.
Most people know Rosa Parks as the mother of the Civil Rights movement. Parks is most commonly taught in schools for her refusal to give up her seat for a white man on the bus. Sometimes her story gets spun (by white people) as though she was simply a tired bus passenger, but she was actually a long-time member of the black liberation movement and her refusal was part of a systemic protest. She was also outspoken about women’s rights and sexual violence, including, for example, in defense of Anita Hill.
Here’s what the dolls look like:
Mattel released both dolls on Women’s Equality Day, which is August 26. They’re part of a series of dolls meant to inspire young kids and educate them about empowering women leaders. Right now, in addition to Parks and Ride, the line includes Amelia Earhart, Katherine Johnson, and Frida Kahlo.
"Both Sally Ride and Rosa Parks made the world better for future generations of girls," a Mattel spokesperson told CNN in an interview. "By celebrating their achievements with dolls made in their likeness, we hope girls will be inspired to pursue their dreams." (This is fine, but a push to use gender-inclusive language would be better. Not only girls play with dolls!)
Mind you, Mattel is a major corporation—would Kahlo, a socialist who actively denounced colonialism, have wanted her face plastered all over a doll and sold to the masses? Probably not. In fact, her family has been livid about it. Does Barbie, in particular, have a dark history of centering white, cisgender women and amplifying unrealistic beauty standards, especially in regard to weight? Yes. But on the whole, for kids who are drawn to Barbie (or are simply wandering around the toy aisle), it never hurts to see more inclusion.
And if you don’t want to fork over about $30 per doll to a major corporation, it’s perhaps inspiration to go on the hunt for locally made toys that depict women leaders. Or at least talk to the kids in your life about them.