Despite the ways in which dolls have traditionally continually been marketed towards a lot of young ladies, whereas action figures that are simply dolls by another name were marketed.
Even if you’re taking off their hair, you’re still playing with them. The company behind Barbie and Ken has released a new range of gender-neutral dolls, “designed to keep labels out and invite everyone in”.
Retailing for $44.99, Mattel’s ‘Creatable World’ line of dolls don’t feature Barbie’s exaggerated gendered features – such as large breasts or broad shoulders. Instead, they come with short-cropped hair and a wig for accessorizing.
According to Time magazine, Mattel says the dolls are based on research spanning 250 different families, in which 15 children identified either trans or non-binary. Mattel’s head of consumer insights, Monica Dreger, said the dolls were a step towards greater inclusivity for the brand.
There were a few of gender-creative youngsters WHO told North American nation that they horrific quarter day as a result of they knew no matter they got below the Christmas. “This is that the initial doll that you simply will notice below the tree and see is for them as a result of it are often for anyone.”
While the gender-neutral dolls will be sure to rile up conservative buyers, Mattel president Richard Dickson insists that they weren’t created to make a political statement. “We’re not within the business of politics,” he said. “And we have a tendency to respect the choice any parent makes around however they raise their youngsters.
“Our job is to stimulate imaginations. Our toys are ultimately canvases for cultural spoken language, but it’s your conversation, not ours; your opinion, not ours.”
US LGBTIQ+ organization GLAAD took to social media to celebrate the new dolls, tweeting: “So many children and parents never saw themselves represented in toys and dolls, but this new line raises the bar for inclusion due to input from oldsters, physicians, and youngsters themselves.”
Ever since the world was first introduced to Barbie dolls back in 1959, Mattel has faced criticism for reinforcing traditional gender stereotypes – a perception the company has actively been challenging in recent years.
There’s been a ‘love wins’ same-sex marriage activist Barbie, a gender-bending David Bowie-inspired Barbie, a Barbie with a prosthetic leg, as well as a Barbie inspired by bisexual boxer Nicola Adams.