While we haven’t played with dolls in quite some time, there’s still a fondness in our heart for them. After all, playtime is how we learned as kids, and it was fun to make up our own stories. So when we saw the new gay rights Barbie on the official Instagram account, we fell in love again.
The official @BarbieStyle account shows Barbie in her day to day “life”. And sometimes she meets real-life inspiring people. In this case, Barbie’s meeting fashion blogger and designer Aimee Song. And they’re both wearing Song’s “Love Wins” t-shirts! (And you can too — Song sells human-sized versions of the shirt for $68.)
And, of course, Song was thrilled. She reposted a couple of the @BarbieStyle shots on her own Instagram:
Most of the pictures on the @BarbieStyle account are glamor shots of the doll as she shops or plays with her friends. And, just like human Instagram stars, sometimes she posts paid endorsements. (We’re not quite sure how to feel on that one. Not from any moral objections, just that a plastic spokesperson seems weird.)
Still, Barbie’s met some other cool people — in addition to Song, she’s also been seen with model and activist Ashley Graham and Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim female Olympic medalist.
Thankfully, if you want your own doll of Song, Graham or Muhammad, you’re in luck! The dolls pictures on the @BarbieStyle account are all part of the “Sheroes” doll line, featuring real heroes. In addition to the three women we’ve mentioned, there have been dolls for Olympian Gabby Douglas, writer/director Ava DuVernay and ballerina Misty Copeland.
As if that weren’t enough to earn our undying love, Mattel announced this year they were releasing a line of Ken Dolls that are more body-diverse. In 2016, Mattel did the same for Barbie herself, adding tall, petite and curvy sizes for the glamour doll.
