Though it was first introduced to the public eye in 1959 at New York City’s America Toy Fair, with now over one billion dolls sold, iconic outfits, and unforgettable catchphrase ‘Be who you want to be’- the iconic Barbie doll has since taken the world by storm. Although typically targeted towards the likings of young females with attributes of cooking, beauty, and fashion- Barbie has made history by featuring a male in their ads for the first time ever.
It all happened in November when Mattel, a toy manufacturing company with some of the most popular brands on its roster like Hot-Wheels, Fisher price, and the American Girl dolls, teamed with italian luxury fashion house Moschino, to create a stylish new Barbie. The doll wears an all black accented look, a gold necklace, and a signature white tote with ‘Moschino’ in an all black lettering.
“This is the first ad EVER with a boy! Huge props to Barbie for this change, especially since this may seem risky because Barbie has always been associated with a female audience” Meerab Kaleem, senior, said.
Their half-minute ad features two young girls playing with the limited edition of the iconic doll, but it’s their young male friend who steals all the attention by telling viewers that this Barbie is “so fierce”.
Although the Barbie brand was founded in the 1950’s, it is shocking to find that this is the first ad to feature a boy. But Barbie is not the only brand that is saying sayonara to gender roles and putting their foot down for change. On Amazon, customers can no longer search for “boy toys” and “girl toys.” Searches are limited now to the child’s age and type of toy. In August, Target announced it will be moving away from gender-based signs in an attempt to remove gender stereotypes based around children’s toys.
“I like that Barbie and so many other brands/stores are trying to get rid of these stereotypes placed in our society. It’s a very historic and pleasing thing to know, because at the end of the day, anyone has the power to like anything, whether it’s fit for their gender or not” Hadeel Fouad, senior, said.
Some people may think that Barbie’s move to shatter gender stereotypes is long overdue, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Maybe promoting more campaigns that are sex based should spread around the world.
