Barbie, meet Ashley Graham, and say goodbye to that thigh gap! Mattel recently unveiled a one of a kind Ashley Graham Barbie doll at Glamour’s Woman of the Year Summit. Graham is a model and body activist. She was the first plus-sized model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Mattel has long been criticized for Barbie’s unrealistic body proportions, and, earlier this year, they introduced three new body types — tall, curvy and petite, along with a range of seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. Mattel’s body positive Barbie message impressed Graham, and she was outspoken about it. When word got back to Mattel, it prompted them to reach out to the model and include her in their Shero Collection, along with Ava DuVernay, Emmy Rossum, Kristin Chenoweth and Gabby Douglas, to name a few of their sheroes.
“We need to work together to redefine the global image of beauty and continue to push for a more inclusive world,” Graham said in a statement. “I’m thrilled Barbie has not only evolved their product, but also has continued to honor women who are pushing boundaries. It’s an honor to be immortalized in plastic.”
Graham’s Barbie’s outfit is modeled after one of her post-New York Fashion Week looks. The doll is wearing a black, sparkly bodycon dress, a cropped jean jacket and Pierre Hardy boots.
Of course she’s wearing an incredible outfit, but the best part about Graham’s Barbie? No thigh gap! It’s great to see Mattel modeling dolls after real women.
“She had to have her thighs touch. No ands, ifs or buts about it. And I asked for cellulite but obviously plastic and cellulite don’t go hand in hand,” Graham said. “It was important that the Barbie resembled me as much as possible. The thighs touching was one way to show young girls that it’s OK for your thighs to touch, despite society saying that a ‘thigh gap’ is more beautiful.”
Watch Graham visit Mattel
To see more of the making of this new Barbie, watch this video!
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