New Barbies: 'Curvy,' 'Petite,' Added To Mattel's Lineup

Mattel’s Barbie, with her elongated limbs, pen-cap sized waste and absolute lack of anything resembling — Ugh! — fat, has been criticized for decades for sending the wrong message to generations of little fans for her unrealistically slim body and devotion to all things girlie.

The original bag-of-bones Barbie will still be around, but on Thursday her makers, Mattell, introduced several new Barbie bodies: curvy, tall and petite.

Part of what Mattell is calling The Fashionista line, Barbie will now come in seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, 24 hairstyles and the three new body types.

“Barbie has always been a brand that’s about choice,” Mattell spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni told Patch. “This was about adding more variety into the line to allow girls to have more options and ways to have stories.”

Barbie has been undergoing a transformation of sorts over the last two years, following complaints that the popular doll set unrealistic body-image standards for girls and young women.

Last year, Barbie was given new skin tones and flatter instead of curved ones meant to fit in high heels.

“We believe we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty,” Mattel’s Senior Vice President, Evelyn Mazzocco, said in the press release.

Chidoni wouldn’t say whether similar changes were in the works for Ken dolls, but that, “We are always looking at ways to evolve the line.”

You can see and order the new Barbies here, and they will be available in toy stores in spring, 2016, the company said.

Image via Mattel