Why the New 2016 Barbies are Essential for Black Girls

Hey Curlies,

When I was a kid, I had a few Barbie dolls to entertain me, but I later learned the reason why I wasn’t surrounded by dozens of them – my mother wasn’t a fan of the brand. She later told me Barbie wasn’t diverse enough and as I got older, I agreed with her.

I was so excited some days ago when Mattel, the company that produces Barbie, announced they would debut a line of “diverse dolls” that are tall, curvy and petite and range in a variety of skin tones, ethnic groups and hair textures. Since I don’t keep up with this brand as much now days as I am an adult, when I caught whiff of this…I got excited because what this stands for is very significant.

I wish there was a variety of Barbies I could play with that actually looked like me when I was a kid. The toys children play with is very important, especially these dolls as they are supposed to mimic real human beings. Not only do these dolls show diversity in skin tone, I love their new body shapes. Barbies will now depict real women who have a variety of shapes, which hopefully will cut down on the amount of girls (who later will grow up to become women) who feel uncomfortable in their own skin because they don’t look a “specific” way.

I was even more ecstatic once I seen the dolls. I loved the variety, especially the ones that favor Black women and other minority groups:

(Photos/Mattel)

I was even more excited to see the doll at the very top of this post. Look at her hair! It’s tightly coiled and gorgeous! Finally, it seems as if somebody is getting it. To me, this says: “It’s OK to be who you are.”

What do you think of the new dolls? I’m definitely buying a couple for my friend’s kids.