Gotta collect them all!
Civil Rights Icon Ida B. Wells is set to get her own Barbie doll in 2022.
In 2018 on International Women’s Day, Barbie launched it’s “Inspiring Women Series” focused on “[honoring] historical role models who paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before.” The series was apart of Mattel’s “Dream Gap” campaign, which aimed to raise awareness about the issue of representation for young girls and research that showed “that girls began to view their gender as inferior to boys and develop limiting beliefs about themselves at as young as 5 years old, as a result of cultural stereotypes, implicit biases and media representation.”
As a result, Barbie began creating dolls that allowed children to play with purpose, modeling Barbie dolls in the likeness of historical figures. One of the first dolls released was in honor of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, followed by more dolls made in the likeness of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, literary icon Maya Angelou and the Queen of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald.
Photo Courtesy of Mattel/Barbie
Now, it seems another doll is coming out this year, this time one in honor of journalist, feminist and civil rights leader Ida B. Wells. An investigative journalist who launched a crusade against lynchings during the late 1890s, Wells was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her work in 2020.
Photo Courtesy of Mattel/Barbie
This new doll continues with that honor, highlighting the fearless journalist and her activism for racial and gender equality, YouLoveIt.com reports. The collectible features Wells in a full floor length dress adorned with lace holding a Memphis Free Speech newspaper.
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No official word on when the doll will hit the market but some shoppers have already reported seeing it in Target stores!
Photo Courtesy of University of Chicago Press/Mattel/Barbie