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Mattel has released the first-ever blind Barbie fashionista doll, a monumental move for the brand and its continued commitment to inclusivity.
Since the first doll was launched in 1959, Barbie has been a pinnacle of culture. However, she has faced a fair amount of backlash for not representing all women. The brand is on a mission to change that, with its fashionista range releasing more representative dolls over the years. The collection includes Barbies with Down syndrome, wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, and hearing aids. And now? We have our first-ever blind Barbie!
For this launch, Barbie partnered with and consulted the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in the US and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK to ensure that every detail on the doll and packaging accurately depicted blind and low-vision individuals and was accessible to them.
The brand also appointed British broadcaster and disability activist Lucy Edwards as an ambassador for the doll. Lucy lost sight in her right eye at 11 years old and her full eyesight at 17 to Incontinentia Pigmenti, a rare genetic disease. As she didn't have many role models who shared her experience, Lucy started posting her life as a teenager and is now an award-winning broadcaster, author, and inspirational speaker.
Content creator Lucy Edwards on losing her sight aged 17.
Lucy spoke to GLAMOUR about the importance of having a blind Barbie and how it can be a fantastic tool for young children to process and celebrate their disability.
“I think the way we see authentic representation is through the most famous doll in the world," Lucy begins. "It means so much to me because growing up as a blind teenager, I didn't see the representation that we do now.”
“There wasn’t anyone on the telly or any dolls that represented me," she continues. “And I think if I was driving my little Barbie Jeep when I was younger and that Barbie doll had a disability, I wouldn't have been as scared to lose my eyesight.”
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Mattel also ensured that the dolls' clothing and accessories were accessible, with vibrant and textured clothing for tactile interest and easy fastenings for changing clothes.
Lucy approves, noting, “I love textured skirts and fashion. So when I felt that she had that gorgeous skirt with all the different ruffles, I was like, Oh My God, that's how I pick my clothes! That's how I just interact with the world now.”
The doll also comes with a white and red marshmallow-tip cane and sunglasses, elbow articulations for comfortable cane use, and a different eye gaze to mimic that of blind individuals.
Lucy added, “Barbie is a pinnacle of our culture, and we can see that Barbie can have a cane and be fashionable, so for young people, I think Barbie can help with that.”
“I think if I'd had that as a young girl, I don't think it would've taken me as long to accept my blindness and my cane in the way that it's taken me 12 years to get to this point where I'm saying I love being blind.”
The importance of representation cannot be overstated.
Debbie Miller, Director of Customer Advice & Support at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said: “Barbie is all about joy –about discovering and understanding the world through play – and it’s wonderful to think that children with a vision impairment can now play with a Barbie that looks like them.
Play is one of the strongest vehicles for children when learning and understanding the world, others around them, and themselves. So, having a toy with a disability is a huge step forward in helping children with disabilities and also in educating able-bodied children about disabilities and inclusivity.
Lucy adds, “Barbie is the epitome of saying we are blind, not broken. The world around us is the thing that needs to be fixed, not us.”
Executive produced by Bridgerton's Shonda Rhimes, it looks at the journey to getting the doll made.
