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Mattel Introduces New Barbie Body Types

She may have been around for 57 years, but Barbie has certainly received a lot of criticism over the last few decades for her unrealistic body measurements.

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The blonde blue-eyed doll is fast losing popularity, with manufacturer Mattel recording a 14% drop in profits last year alone.

It seems the company has finally taken note, because it’s just introduced three new body types and 24 new hairstyles to the Barbie range (baby steps).

“We are excited to literally be changing the face of the brand – these new dolls represent a line that is more reflective of the world girls see around them – the variety in body type, skin tones and style allows girls to find a doll that speaks to them,” said Evelyn Mazzocco, senior vice-president and Barbie’s global general manager.

“We believe we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty.”

Mattel reportedly spent two years squirreling away on the new Barbies, with months spent choosing the correct names for each new body type.

Liam Preston, spokesman for the YMCA’s Be Real campaign, applauded Mattel’s decision, telling The Guardian UK it was about time companies accepted responsibility for the images that they projected onto young girls and teenagers.

“We know that children are affected from a young age by the images around them,” Preston explained. “We have research that says girls as young as five years old are worried about the way they look and their size. More so than ever, everywhere they go young people are bombarded with images of photoshopped women, who have shapes that are just not real and not healthy.

”It’s so important that young people embrace diversity and feel happy with who they are, and the dolls Mattel are looking to do could really help that. I hope this is the first step for a change in the children’s market overall.”'

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Only time will tell, but for now, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.