doll: Barbie Fashionista, No. 144

For most of the years since Mattel’s Barbie doll arrived in toy stores in 1959, parents, educators, and critics have complained that Barbie’s exaggeratedly slim physique created body image and self-esteem problems for the generations of girls who have played with her. In spite of adult concerns, Barbie remained, for half a century, the best-selling doll in America. In recent years, however, sales of Barbie dolls have stumbled, and Mattel has struggled to turn the brand around. In early 2016, Mattel offered a new line of Barbies, including 3 additional body types—petite, tall, and curvy—that better reflects the diversity of American girls and American culture’s ideas about beauty. The new Barbies—called Fashionista—also come with 7 skin tones, 22 eye colors, and 24 hairstyles. Mattel announced the new line nothing: “Girls everywhere now have infinitely more ways to play out their stories and spark their imaginations through Barbie. Along with more overall diversity, we proudly add three new body types to our line.” Mattel has introduced subsequent Fashionista dolls.