Time for This Millennial Mom to Buy Some Barbies!

Last updated on: January 29, 2016 at 10:15 am by Libby Anne

Time for This Millennial Mom to Buy Some Barbies! 2016-01-29T10:15:14-04:00 Libby Anne

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Okay, okay, so the title of this post is slightly over the top. This past Christmas was a bit more heavy on consumerism than I’d planned and I’ve sworn off getting my children new toys until their birthdays, but I have to say, I am pleasantly impressed with the new direction Mattel is taking Barbie. The toy company has just announced a move away from its classic look toward a greater embrace of diversity in body shape. The dolls in the image below are only some of the 33 new Barbies the company is releasing.

What prompted the change? This, apparently:

Barbie is to receive a dramatic makeover in 2016, toy company Mattel has revealed, as a new range includes three optional body shapes – petite, tall and curvy – as well as seven different skin tones and 24 hair styles.

Marking a radical change from the blonde, blue-eyed appearance and implausible proportions of previous models, the updated dolls are intended to better reflect the diversity of the product’s audience and appeal to the shifting expectations of what Mattel called “millennial moms”.

“We were seeing that Millennials are driven by social justice and attracted to brands with purpose and values, and they didn’t see Barbie in this category,” Tania Missad, Mattel’s director of global brand insights, told the Telegraph.

And from later in the article, this:

Compared to Baby Boomers and Generation X parents, ‘Millennial moms’ were more likely to question institutions and harbour anti-consumerist sentiments. ‘Girls still love Barbie,’ says Missad. ‘But moms, and specifically Millennial moms, were having a real crisis about whether they wanted their children to play with Barbie or not.’ Mattel cannot afford to lose Millennial moms. ‘It’s currently a small group, but it’s a growing group,’ says Missad. ‘It’s the future.’

Let me explain why I find this so hopeful. I have complained, many times, about the increased gendering of children’s toys (and children’s clothes, and, well, children’s everything) in recent years. I’ve talked about how the girls’ toy aisle in most stores ends up a wash of pink and purple, and about the ways gendered toys affect girls (and boys). Presumably toy manufacturers have been marketing children’s toys this way because it’s what sells. This move by Mattel suggests that that may be changing. Maybe—just maybe—my generation can turn things around.

Yes, toy manufacturers can try to garner sales through advertising and efforts to convince parents that they should buy their products for their children, but they also conduct focus groups and listen to parents in an attempt to determine what parents want to buy. I think this is the first time I have seen a toy manufacturer speak openly of “Millenial moms” as a target market—and as a market that matters. And as a proud “Millenial mom,” that matters a lot to me.

After reading several articles on the new rollout, I turned to my husband.

“I think we may need to get Sally a Barbie for her birthday,” I told him.

“That’s something I never thought I’d hear you say!” he responded.

And that’s rather the point. But then, I can’t say for sure what we’ll purchase. Barbie will have to compete with GoldieBlox, Miss Possible, and Jewelbots, some of the many startups designed by Millenials in an effort to spark girls’ interest in science and technology and compete with more stereotypically gendered toys. Still, before this new rollout, I never even would have even considered Barbie in the running as a birthday present for my daughter. And that? That mattered to Mattel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPETP7-UfuI

[Edit 1: In response to some things mentioned in the comments, I should note that I am not huge on preventing children from having toys all of the other children in their lives are playing with. I grew up in a home where TV was forbidden, among other things, and that left me feeling odd and out of step with my peers. My children currently have a number of Barbie dolls, some given them as gifts and some purchased at thrift stores. What changed with this new line is that I would be more likely to consider buying a Barbie doll new, and as an official gift. Before this, that would not have been on my radar, not because of an ideological boycott so much as because there are so many other quality toys available.]

[Edit 2: I am not against girls playing with things that are pink. I wrote a blog post critical of the Lego Friends line a while back, but have since purchased some of their sets for my children. They may have an overload of pink and purple, but some of the sets are quite nice and have interesting concepts. I also don’t object to my children playing princess. I let my daughter dress as she pleases, and her style is very feminine. I am, however, concerned about a sort of overarching color segregation that risks communicating to girls which toys they can acceptably play with and which they cannot.]

[Edit 3: While Barbie has released 33 new dolls in a range of shapes and colors, it is true that their new move still has its limits. Even the curvy dolls only represent the lighter end of large, and even then only in conformance with idealized body shapes in their proportions. I would also have liked to see some effort to create a doll with disabilities. Even with these limitations, I am impressed with how far this move has taken from their original product, and I appreciate the effort they have put into this new rollout.]

Feminism

Parenting

gender

Previous Post

January 28, 2016

Bill Gothard's Disturbing Slavery Apology

Next Post

January 29, 2016 Anonymous Tip: The Lefty Judge

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atheism Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism Family Feminism Homeschool Meta Parenting Patriarchy Politics Purity Quiverfull Social Justice Uncategorized Worthwhile reads

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the ruler of Egypt during Joseph's time?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Pharaoh Cyrus Nebuchadnezzar Caesar