Barbie honours Sinclair as trail-blazing role model
Three-time Olympic medallist recognized with her own one-of-a-kind doll
Christine Sinclair recalls a bleak moment in her life, around the time she was in middle school, when she was filled with self-doubt.
It was also around the same time all her friends had dropped out of the club team they played on.
“I had a family member, I will never forget it, tell me that I will not make it in soccer,” Sinclair told the Star.
“And yeah, it hurts because at the time, there’s no professional leagues, soccer wasn’t in the Olympics, and you’re like, ‘Well, maybe they’re right.’ ”
But Sinclair’s love of the game outweighed the negative noise, wiping out any consideration to follow in her friends’ footsteps.
Now, she’s a national and global icon.
Sinclair went on to become a three-time Olympic medallist and the top international scorer of all time. She also led Canada to three World Cups, inspiring many young girls to don her jersey number: 12.
And now, toy company Mattel has enlisted the Canadian legend to be included in its Barbie campaign honouring trail-blazing women.
Sinclair also got a one-of-a-kind doll (not available for sale) that looks just like her, down to the soccer socks above the knees and the white captain’s arm band with a red maple leaf on it.
“I was flabbergasted,” Sinclair said.
“This is something I never thought. Like, me? Give me a break.”
It’s crucial to shift young girls’ inner dialogue because, even from the age of five, they can be far too down on themselves and have already absorbed negative stereotypes, said Laura Cavanagh, registered psychotherapist and professor of psychology and behavioural sciences at Seneca College.
“When girls hear that the path wasn’t always easy for their role models, I think it encourages them to have a little bit more tenacity or perseverance,” Cavanagh added.
Despite Barbie’s past of reinforcing stereotypes, efforts in the last decade to reverse that by promoting dolls of all skin types, hair textures, body types and physical abilities have made it one of the “most diverse and inclusive doll lines in the market right now,” said Michelle Haalstra-Marijan, Barbie brand manager for Canada.
Cavanagh believes this can even have a positive impact on young boys, where they are “more likely to grow up with a flexible, nuanced and open mindedness” around gender roles, as opposed to seeing only male athletes on toy-store shelves and advertising.
Addressing young girls, noting others also suggested she won’t make it or it’s not possible, Sinclair advises: “Ignore all the naysayers. What matters is what you got (on the) inside and just go for it. Frigging go for it!”
Sinclair hopes to encourage girls to do far more than to be just like her: “Aim to be better.”
The soccer star is in good company with other Canadian trailblazers previously recognized by Barbie as role models, including songwriter Shania Twain, CEO and founder of Canada Learning Code Melissa Sariffodeen, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa, ice dancer Tessa Virtue and Team Canada women’s hockey players Sarah Nurse and Marie-Philip Poulin.
Among the international sports stars honoured as this year’s role models are Venus Williams (tennis), Mary Fowler (soccer) and Rebeca Andrade (gymnast).
The campaign follows Barbie’s partnership announcement with the Professional Women’s Hockey League — a first for the toy brand — to launch a collection of merchandise for adults and kids.
Sinclair’s family has been widely described as supportive, so what does she say to that relative now?
“I keep reminding him (of that comment),” she said.
“‘What did you say wasn’t possible?’ ”