Ashley Graham has had one hell of a year and to top it off as being honored with Glamour’s Woman of the Year Award, as a tribute to her advocacy and achievements, she unveiled a Barbie made in her likeness.
Graham had simply one request when she was approached by Mattel, “She had to have her thighs touch, No ands, ifs or buts about it,” Graham tells The Hollywood Reporter. As an advocate for body positivity, it was important to Graham for her Barbie to break numerous boundaries in the Barbie realm, because “it was one way to show young girls that it’s okay for you thighs to touch, despite society saying that a ‘thigh gap’ is more beautiful.”
As Mattel is actively trying to be more inclusive and representative of women, they have created a Sheroes collection, which not only includes Graham, along with Zendaya and Ava DuVernay, but the dolls are also available in three new body types: curvy, petite, and tall, as well as in seven skin tones.
The impact that Mattel has over the self-esteem and body positivity of young girls that play with Barbies is extremely powerful and their recognition of the affect that they have on one aspect of representation can be a catalyst for future change in this respect. Graham shares the sentiment that every girl should feel beautiful and like they belong, regardless of what they look like. Girls should be able to feel like the dolls are really a mini-me version of them and be proud of that. Graham acknowledges that there is definitely a craze with wanting to look like Barbie, and now every girl can and that it’s no longer an unattainable dream.
