Dolled up, the first Barbie to wear a hijab
BARBIES aren’t known for covering up, but this doll breaks with the trend in rather dramatic fashion.
The first Barbie to wear a hijab was unveiled yesterday to honour an athlete who wore one at the Olympics.
Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad said she was ‘proud’ that children would play with a ‘Barbie who chooses to wear a hijab’, adding that as a girl she would put the Islamic garment on her toys.
It challenges stereotypes associated with Mattel-owned Barbie, which has often attracted criticism for making its dolls too thin or overly sexualised.
The doll is wearing makeup similar to many Barbies and comes with a full fencing suit including a mask and foil. Miss Muhammad, 31, became the first American Olympian to compete in a hijab during last year’s Rio games when she took home a bronze medal.
Speaking to Glamour magazine in New York, the New Jersey-born star described the creation of a Barbie in her name as a ‘childhood dream come true’. The doll, which will be on sale from late next year in the US, is part of Barbie’s Sheroes line, meaning female heroes, created to honour women who break boundaries.
Miss Muhammad said: ‘I had so many moments as an athlete, where I didn’t feel included, where I was often in spaces where there was a lack of representation. So to be in this moment, as a US Olympian, to have Mattel, such a global brand, diversify their toy line to include a Barbie doll that wears a hijab, is very moving to me.’