It’s been more than 35 years since the launch of Black Barbie, but Black Barbie was just a browner version of white Barbie – vapid, concerned only about her clothes and her hair.
But as society has changed, Barbie has changed. On Monday, May 2, Mattel unveiled its new Barbie Shero.
She’s Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theatre’s first female African-American principal dancer whose doll is the latest addition to Team Barbie.
“I always dreamed of becoming an ABT ballerina and through Barbie I was able to play out those dreams early on,” Copeland said in a statement. “It’s an honor to be able to inspire the next generation of kids with my very own Barbie doll.”
Misty Barbie retails for $29.95 and she’s dressed like she’s about to dance in “The Firebird,” by Stravinsky.
“Misty Copeland is at the center of a cultural conversation around how women continue to break boundaries,” Barbie exec Lisa McKnight said in a statement. “As a brand, we want to honor women, like Misty, who are inspiring the next generation of girls to live out their dreams.”
“It’s just so exciting for this generation of kids to be able to see a Barbie that has muscles and brown skin and a bust and thighs, and for her to be a ballerina,” Copeland told mashable.com.