Barbie dolls have been held responsible for a lot: promoting an unrealistic even racist idea of ‘beauty’, damaging the self-esteem of little girls, giving rise to body image issues and more. Since then, Barbie dolls have tried to be more representative of different skin colours. And now we have a Barbie doll in a wheel chair! Why? Most importantly what do the netizens think about this?
The Facebook page of Gin & Lemonade – a disability lifestyle and parenting blog – shared this image. Accompanying the picture was a little story about finding this wheelchair-bound Barbie in a store and being deeply moved by it because of a childhood incident.
As the Facebook post and others on Twitter said, this doll is important because representation is important. Our art, popular culture, toys everything needs to represent people of different types, ethnicities, abilities, beliefs.
It is important for kids to grow up knowing about people with disabilities and empathising with them. Toys can help kids - for instance, this doll in a wheelchair can help kids grow up without viewing handicapped people as abnormal or less in any way.
Adults with disabilities love the toy. Those who never bought a Barbie have now decided to go get one.
The doll comes with a wheelchair ramp, which is thoughtful. It also draws attention to the fact that most of our public spaces are not disabled-friendly; that they need appropriate modifications to become so.
Regular Barbie’s limbs are not known for their flexibility. The Barbie in a wheelchair has limbs that can bend and even a prosthetic limb.
The wheelchair is modelled on a real wheelchair and there is even a neck brace for added authenticity.
There is a Caucasian looking Barbie with the regulation blonde hair. There is also a Black Barbie in a wheelchair with big hair which also prompted appreciative reactions.
I also noticed that the doll is a part of the ‘Fashionistas’ line to indicate that people with disabilities are just like the rest of us; as fashionable as they choose to be. Such mainstreaming helps remove the stigma that continues to be attached to disabilities and disabled people.
Toy manufacturer Mattel has often been accused of promoting the thin-is-beautiful idea. People felt that they perpetuated unrealistic body types, possibly promoting negative body images and even eating disorders. In response, Mattel has come up with Barbie dolls not only of diverse ethnicities but also various body types. Now there is a Barbie in a wheelchair as well!
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