doll-manufacturers-get-real-challenge-popular-stereotypes

For decades now, toy dolls have been built and sold on the idea of cookie-cutter perfection and unrealistic standards of beauty — fair skin, blue eyes, tiaras and the like. So much so that the phrase ‘like a doll’ has conventionally implied youthful face, long legs and cinched waist. However, thankfully, a few years ago, toy making companies realised the blunder and decided to switch things up the right way — by being socially disruptive, politically correct and racially inclusive. 

 

Last week, Mattel, the maker of the beloved Barbie, introduced another addition breaking the stereotypical image —  a Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes. The doll is a part of Barbie’s Fashionista line and comes with a continuous glucose monitor, insulin pump and a bag big enough to carry emergency snacks. The line is an effort on the part of the company to spread the message of inclusivity and representation for children with the condition. In 2022, Lego rolled out a mini figure of a boy who uses a wheelchair to show solidarity for children with special abilities across the globe.

 

What led to the big change?

 

However, the redefined toys did not come into being overnight. The change happened after years of soft activism taken up by parents, child psychologists and decades of controversy over damaging body image propagated by the stereotypical toy figures.

 

Also read: Barbie's new look says - diabetes doesn't define you

 

The topheads at Mattel in various capacities defended Barbie’s unearthly proportions for years and years by saying that “she was never designed to be realistic.” Till it became undefendable and made absolute business and political sense to diversify the line. A study conducted in 2006 by University of Sussex, concluded that thin dolls like Barbie “may damage young girls' body image” and thus contribute to the risk of disordered eating and weight cycling in the long run. The effects of influence at an impressionable age cannot be undermined nor assessed completely. The study titled ‘Does Barbie make girls want to be thin?’ analysed how the body image of 5 to 8-year-old girls was shaped by exposure to dolls.

 

Barbie got a makeover

 

The first major makeover happened back in 2016, through the line petite, tall and curvy. The Barbie was also introduced in a wholesome seven skin tones, 22 eye colours, 24 hairstyles and even a flat foot. In 2020, Mattel further introduced an entire line-up of diverse dolls featuring varied skin tones, wheelchairs and body types. The teaser video announcing the line-up said, “More skin tones! More body types! More unique looks.” Thereafter, toy store shelves were flooded with Barbie dolls with vitiligo, a prosthetic leg, no hair, in varied shapes and sizes and also skin tones.

 

Also read: What does a Labubu doll say about this generation?

 

But the very initial efforts to break down barriers in order to be more inclusive and celebrate children with special disabilities can be given to several online toy retailers, who sensed a demand among parents of children with special abilities early on. Toys R Us has carried an exclusive line called Journey Girls which comprises a wheelchair and a crutch set. Reinforcement of conventional gender roles has been another criticism thrown in the face of toy companies with items like kitchen sets usually marketed for girls and construction toys aimed at boys. GoldieBlox, a company founded in 2012, was among the first ones to disrupt the pink-themed aisles filled with toys usually marketed for girls. The company offered construction sets for little girls, introduced a black character called Ruby Rails and has since experimented with a wide range of ethnicities.

 

Toy figures with disabilities open up conversations

 

Last year, while hitting yet another milestone in promoting inclusivity, Mattel introduced Blind Barbie. Equipped with a white cane and glasses, the line has been an attempt to normalise disabilities, open up conversations and give validation to the identity and experience of children with disability. Although introduced six decades after the original Barbie hit the shelves, the line was applauded as an evolution from once Bling Barbie to a visually impaired Barbie.  In a statement, Krista Berger, senior VP and global head of sales, called the line an attempt at representation, “We recognise that Barbie is much more than just a doll; she represents self-expression and can create a sense of belonging.”

 

But what has truly sustained such diversity efforts is they made complete business sense.

 

Most of the racially diverse lines did well in the stores, flying off the shelves faster than expected. A few decades ago, a doll with hearing aids or prosthetic leg would have been unheard of but now they can be actually found on the shelves, readily picked up by girls who relate to them or those who empathise with them. Hailing such lines, child experts have opined how wholesome toys contribute to making children more accepting, empathetic and ready to embrace the rich human diversity. Besides, it's also time children learnt that dolls do come in all shapes and sizes, with many possible real-life conditions and imperfections that make them just as unique and beautiful.