Critics have said Barbie has become increasingly out of touch, especially as celebrities such as Christina Hendricks, Octavia Spencer and the Kardashian clan have changed conversations about beauty. At the Golden Globe Awards this month, actress Bryce Dallas Howard caused a stir by revealing that she bought her dress off the rack from Neiman Marcus because design houses offered few samples in a size 6.
Jason Freeny, a New York-based toy designer and artist, set off an uproar online a few years ago by creating a Barbie sculpture that showed the effect her tiny waist would have on her internal organs.
“She was like a giraffe,” he recalled. “Her organs had to be pinched. They were so small and tiny, it was quite restrictive on her digestive system.”
Freeny, whose 7-year-old daughter plays with Barbies, said it’s good for children to see different standards of beauty in their toys.
“Having variety, it’s not a bad thing,” he said. “It’s great.”
Evelyn Mazzocco, global general manager for Barbie, said Mattel is "changing the face of the brand."
"These new dolls represent a line that is more reflective of the world girls see around them," she said in a Thursday statement. "The variety in body type, skin tone and style allows girls to find a doll that speaks to them."
Analysts said Mattel is finally catching up as children demand dolls that look more like them.
“This is something that’s absolutely necessary and important to the future of Barbie,” said Jim Silver, editor in chief of toy review site TTPM. “When half of America is non-Caucasian, you have to offer variety.”
Full article here: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mattel-barbie-20160128-story.html
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