Rosa Parks and Sally Ride get their own Barbie dolls as part of Inspiring Women Series
Some Twitter users criticised Mattel for ‘misrepresentation’ of Parks
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Your support makes all the difference.Mattel has revealed its latest collection of Inspiring Women Barbie dolls that includes Rosa Parks and Sally Ride.
The company unveiled its latest dolls, which come with information about the women's lives and their contributions to society, to coincide with Women’s Equality Day in the US.
The newest dolls include one of Parks, a civil rights activist, and Ride, the first American woman and youngest American to travel into space.
Parks’ figurine comes with a hat, glasses, shoes, a clutch bag, coat and gloves. Meanwhile, Ride’s wears a flight suit, head set, helmet and boots.
The dolls are available to buy online for $30.99 (£27.90).
“These historical women broke boundaries that made the world a better place for future generations of girls,” a press release from Barbie read.
On 1 December 1955, Parks broke segregation laws when she refused to give up her seat reserved for white passengers. It inspired the The Montgomery Bus Boycott, which saw African Americans refusing to travel on buses in protest.
The activist was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999, which is one of the highest civilian awards in the US.
On 18 June 1983, Ride boarded the space shuttle Challenger and was tasked with working its robotic arm to help put satellites into space. The astronaut stopped working for Nasa in 1987 and went onto teach at the University of California, San Diego. In 2003, Ride was added to the Astronaut Hall of Fame in honour of her work.
The Inspiring Women series debuted on International Women’s Day last year and includes dolls based on several other inspiring women, including artist Frida Kahlo, aviator Amelia Earhart and Nasa mathematician Katherine Johnson.
While the company’s newest Barbie additions have been praised on social media by some fans, others have criticised its decision to describe Parks as a seamstress until her 1955 protest.
“Please tell me this is not what young children are being taught about Rosa Parks,” commented one Twitter user.
“Shame on @Mattel for claiming to honour Rosa Parks with a new Barbie, while saying she "led an ordinary life as a seamstress until an extraordinary moment on Dec. 1 [sic],” added another.
“Parks had been an activist for 2 decades by then on criminal justice, voter registration.”
“Thanks for calling this out – women’s activism is so often erased or domesticated. Rosa Parks wasn’t just tired, she was purposeful in her protest,” another commented in response to the previous post which alluded to Parks often being described as being “tired” after a day at work before making her bus protest.
Earlier this year, model Adwoa Aboah had been made into a Barbie to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Mattel has honoured the British activist with a one-of-a-kind “Shero” doll in her likeness to celebrate their dual mission to inspire the limitless potential in every girl.
In a bid to close the Dream Gap (a phenomenon that refers to the combination of barriers that impede girls from achieving their dreams or reaching their full potential), the brand says it is working with female role models to focus on diversity and inclusivity.
“I want to help close the Dream Gap, so that girls don’t have to question if they are smart or brave, and have no limits placed on their capabilities by society,” said Aboah.
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