Growing up, I was obsessed with Barbies. Who wasn’t? I spent my days allowing my favorite dolls to make out with the hottie G.I. Joe that I stole from my brothers and hanging out in their dream house. I had my favorites (the tan one with the dark hair FTW), but honestly? It didn’t really matter who I played with because they were all gorgeous.
I’m going to be honest, I sobbed when my mom gave them away. I was eighteen years old. Still not embarrassed about it.
Anyways, I loved those dolls. I. Loveddddd. Them. The thing I never realized though, was that not only did I like playing with them, but I liked imagining my life through their plastic lives. I wanted to look like that, live like them, and score a guy just like the well-endowed man they all fought over.
But, as life and genetics work out, I did not morph into a Barbie once I reached puberty. My hips were too wide. My thighs too big. My waist too squishy and my boobs? Ha. They didn’t exist compaired to Barbie’s.
But hey, at least I was funny, right? Because that’s what little girls dream of being. “Funny.” Nah. We dreamt of being hot. Thanks society. But recently, Mattel, the company who makes our favorite dolls, realized they needed to change that.
Because little girls shouldn’t really be dreaming of being “hot.” We shouldn’t be aiming for a big house and a hot guy. I mean, some of us can. That’s fine. But all of us? No. That shit ain’t cool. Since the company started marketing for a “new Barbie” we’ve all been wondering how, exactly, things will change.
Well, it’s here. The “how.” Barbie has released the looks for the dolls and honestly? It literally changes everything.
In addition to adding seven skin tones and 22 different eye colors, Barbie is changing the body type once again. And now? There isn’t just one. In addition to the original body, Barbie will now come in tall, petite, and curvy.
Image viaMattel
Petite Barbie
Image viaMattel
Tall Barbie
Image viaMattel
The little girl inside of me has never been more thrilled. Though my time has passed, seeing a “curvy” Barbie does something to my soul. Maybe if I would have grown up with this doll, it wouldn’t have taken me so long to feel good about myself. Maybe future generations won’t know the struggle we’ve dealt with. Maybe little girls everywhere will dream of being funny, of being smart, and of feeling beautiful, no matter what mold they are.
The dolls are on pre-sale now, starting at $9.99 and honestly? I might have to snag me one. Well done, Barbie..
[h/t Cosmopolitan]
Image via Instagram / Barbie