Yahoo Lifestyle Meet Entrepreneur Barbie
Back in February, we reported on Mattel's plans to launch Entrepreneur Barbie in an effort to make the doll more relevant to the girls of today.
Now, Entrepreneur Barbie has been fully unveiled as a tech-savvy career girl, complete with tablet, smartphone and laptop case.
"Entering the entrepreneurial world, this independent professional is ready for the next big pitch," said Mattel. "Barbie Entrepreneur doll wears a sophisticated dress in signature pink that features modern color blocking and a sleek silhouette. Her 'smartphone,' tablet and briefcase are always by her side. And luxe details, like a glam necklace, cool clutch and elegant hairstyle, are awesome extras for a smart, stylish career woman."
In addition, Barbie will also be getting her own LinkedIn page and a billboard in Times Square with the slogan, "If you can dream it you can be it." And no modern day Barbie would be complete without her own hashtag of course – this one is branded with #unapologetic as part of a larger campaign to rebrand the doll as an empowered woman.
Entrepreneur Barbie comes complete with tech accessories.
"In essence, Barbie is always asked to apologize for what she looks like," explained Mattel spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni. "And the message there is to be unapologetic."
Entrepreneur Barbie credits a number of strong women as her inspiration, which she refers to as her "Chief Inspirational Officers".
One of them is Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, a non-profit organisation that seeks to empower young women by teaching them advanced computer skills.
"You can't be what you can't see," Saujani told Wired magazine. "Unfortunately we live in a culture where girls are bombarded with images of male coders and engineers that just don't look like them...And then we wonder why girls don't pursue careers in tech! We have to change popular culture and start showing more women, more cool, dynamic, creative women, in these roles."
On the flipside, researchers from Oregon State University argue that it may in fact be detrimental for girls to play with Barbie at all, regardless of her new makeover.
"Playing with Barbie has an effect on girls' ideas about their place in the world," said OSU researcher Aurora M. Sherman, who ascertained that girls between the ages of 4 and 7 who played with Barbies were more likely to perceive themselves as having limited career options - regardless of whether the Barbie had a career herself. "It creates a limit on the sense of what's possible for their future."
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