This week we’ve been talking a lot on feminism, and that in lecture the professor brought up the troubles that Mattel has been having with Barbie and her “unrealistic body” images. Today the toy company announced six new “sheros” – female heroins, because heroism has no gender, according to Yahoo news. This release of dolls includes many influential people, such as the director of Selma, Ava DuVernay, Kristen Chenoweth, Trisha Yearwood, Eva Chen, and Sydney “Mayhem” Keiser. According to the Yahoo News article, the campaign was meant to “empower young girls to continue achieving anything they want, while also honoring and celebrating women who have surpassed expectations on their own volition.” I find it really interesting that Mattel took this route with their new Barbies because instead of being the iconic bombshell that Barbie was known for, they took her and made her into successful businesswomen who have made their living on their own. I also found it interesting that Mattel felt that they had to take this route because of the backlash that they have been getting. As a girl who grew up with barbies, 6 year old girls are not thinking about how skinny or successful Barbie is, they just care about playing and buying more Barbies with more clothes and accessories. Despite what the kids are thinking, or lack thereof, at least the parents will be happy(er) that Mattel is trying to portray a better picture for Barbie.

-JW