In order to “enable even more children to see themselves in Barbie,” Mattel unveiled the first Barbie doll to feature a person with Down syndrome.
Barbie from Mattel has already come under fire for setting up children who play with the doll with unattainable aesthetic standards. The business has made an effort to break from this reputation in recent years by providing a wider variety of dolls. Barbie and Ken dolls with wheelchairs, vitiligo, hearing aids, and prosthetic limbs were the first to be produced.
The 2023 Fashionistas collection, which features a doll with Down syndrome, was the “most diverse doll line” the firm has ever produced.
The doll is dressed in a yellow, blue, and butterfly-adorned dress—all signs of Down syndrome awareness.
Even the pink necklace worn by the doll has significance. The three upward chevrons on it are said to stand for “the three copies of the 21st chromosome, which is the genetic material that causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome,”
Social media users have commanded Mattel and “only hope to see more inclusivity”.
