Influential women made into dolls

US TOYMAKER Mattel on Wednesday unveiled a new line of Barbie dolls based on accomplished women that include US snowboarder Chloe Kim, Australian conservationist Bindi Irwin, and Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

The toymaker announced the new dolls ahead of International Women’s Day yesterday.

Most of the new dolls are based on living women such as Chinese volleyball champion Hui Ruoqi, French chef Helene Darroze, and British boxing champion Nicola Adams.

Another line dubbed “Inspiring Women” is based on historic celebrities such as pioneer aviatrix Amelia Earhart and African-American mathematician Katherine Johnson, made popular by the 2016 Hollywood movie

The new dolls, however, keep the unrealistically thin and lean proportions of a classic Barbie doll.

Mattel’s Barbie, for decades a blonde white doll, began in recent years to diversify its line in order to boost sales.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, a local initiative called Cambodia’s Ultimate Lifestyle Trade, or CULT, organised its second annual, female-only marketplace at the Palace Gate Hotel yesterday. Katia Nicolas, who co-founded CULT and organised the event, said yesterday that the marketplace was meant to promote locally made lifestyle brands that were ethically designed and produced. ‘All the businesses here are run by women, and I think it’s beautiful to be able to network with each other, to discuss challenges we face and share ideas with one another,’ she said.