Barbie has honored several iconic women including Yara Shahidi, Naomi Osaka, and Adwoa Aboah by turning them into a ‘Shero’ dolls to celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday (08.03.19).
20 inspirational women, from scientists and chefs to journalists, have been named as Mattel’s 2019 Barbie ‘Shero’ dolls, to mark Barbie’s 60th anniversary on International Women’s Day, an annual event that celebrates and advocate for women’s rights. The dolls have been created in a bid to close the “Dream Gap”, which refers to the fact women are less self-assured than men in achieving their dreams or reaching their full potential.
‘Grown-ish’ lead actress Yara Shahidi took to Instagram, sharing the good news with fans. She captioned her post, “I’m honored to be repping all the young ones as a Barbie Role ModelLet’s continue to inspire the next generation and each other We need your voices and are watching you all Blossom and shine!”
The full line-up of Barbie’s 2019 “Sheroes” includes Adwoah Aboah, a British Activist and model, ‘Grown-ish’ star Yara Shahidi as well as American Tennis player Naomi Osaka. Cycling champion Kristina Vogel and Indian Gymnastics champion Dipa Karmakar also feature on the list.
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. The doll manufacturers 2019 Shero dolls are part of the company’s 60th annivesary celebrations.