Barbie ‘needed more diversity’

The iconic brand has been revamped to showcase global diversity and a broader range of body types.

Kim Culmone, Senior Vice President Of Barbie And Fashion Doll Design, Mattel, Inc. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

The Barbie brand has undergone a radical transformation to showcase global diversity and a more inclusive range of body types, skin tones and abilities and is more relevant to girls in 2020 as a result, according to senior Mattel executive Kim Culmone.

Speaking to The Australian ahead of her Vogue Codes virtual webinar event, Ms Culmone, who is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Design for Barbie and Fashion Dolls, Mattel Inc, said that under her design leadership, the Barbie brand looks far different to what it did five years ago.

In 2015 the executive led the design of the most ethnically diverse doll line in the brand’s history. That line included the introduction of three new doll body types: curvy, tall and petite. The new range led to a TIME cover, and was named one of the “Top 25 Inventions of 2016” by the magazine.

“We are redefining what it means to be a ‘Barbie’ or look like Barbie and are continuing the journey to represent global diversity in the fashion doll aisle by showcasing a multidimensional view of beauty,” Ms Culmone said.

A young girl plays with a Mattel Inc. Barbie doll in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, July 1, 2015. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

“We now offer Barbie dolls that come in 5 body types, 22 skin tones, 76 hairstyles, 94 hair colours, and 13 eye colours. The range includes dolls in wheelchairs, dolls with prosthetic limbs, dolls Vitiligo and one without hair. We know these efforts are resonating, with seven out of ten of our most popular Barbie Fashionista dolls representing some form of diversity.”

According to Ms Culmone, brand awareness for Barbie today is at 99 per cent, and many people have a Barbie story from their childhood.

She said with children as young as three are playing with Barbie toys and products, there is great responsibility that comes with being a part of their playtime. Barbie has also had over 28 STEM careers on her resume, and Ms Culmone said Barbie is always aiming to help girls explore to roles where women are under-represented, including many roles in tech.

“As the global head of design, I invite everyone who hasn’t done so recently to take another look at the brand. Over the past five years, we have made tremendous progress and our line looks significantly different than it did just five years ago,” she said.

“We know there is even more work to be done until every child truly believes they can be anything. As people and brands, we must ask ourselves what we can do better.

“Right now, I’m particularly passionate about the opportunity to be a part of positive change. The world has presented us with more challenges this year than we could have imagined, and I see so much opportunity to create a better tomorrow for the next generation, particularly without the burdens of racial injustice and gender inequality.”

Ms Culmone added that as a brand, for Mattel it’s important to not just check a box, but to have intention around the actions it takes when it comes to racism.

“Diversity and inclusion must be the foundation of all that we do, and we will continue to fight to remove any barriers that prevent the next generation from reaching their full potential. We cannot achieve our mission to inspire the limitless potential in every girl without acknowledging the barriers and racism that impact Black girls, specifically.”

Visit vogue.com.au/codes to register to hear from the next line up of speakers 16 October to 26 November.