Mattel, the brand who created the iconic Barbie doll, just launched a line of Barbies meant to showcase "inclusivity and innovation" but has admitted to falling short due to their lack of Asian dolls in the collection.
The company teamed with the International Olympic Committee to produce a line of dolls, Hot Wheels cars and limited edition UNO decks based on the addition of five sports in the Tokyo 2020 games which included baseball/softball, sport climbing, karate, skateboarding and surfing.
#Barbie is committed to empowering girls to participate in sports by capturing the fun and friendship of the season, and inspiring kids to find the athlete within. #YouCanBeAnything #tokyo2020 #Olympics https://bit.ly/BarbieSports2020-TGT\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/XftIDTaZMo— Barbie (@Barbie) 1627493686
Janet Hsu, Chief Franchise Officer of Mattel, said in their launch statement:
"Tokyo 2020 is a monumental event that brings the world together through sport and inspires fans of all ages."
"The Mattel Tokyo 2020 Collection honours these sports and inspires a new generation through the Olympic spirit and outstanding athletic tradition."
Twitter was quick to catch on to their lack of Asian Barbie dolls, which is ironic given the fact the games were hosted in Tokyo, Japan.
While some tried to claim the skateboarding Barbie was Asian due to slightly different eye shape, actual Asians disagreed.
are you blind?pic.twitter.com/eHs7iJtkAP— Rich Timothy "Long Tim" Yolonsky (R.T.Y.) (@Rich Timothy "Long Tim" Yolonsky (R.T.Y.)) 1628533973
Are you seriously telling us how we look like? Have you looked at an Asian before?— Worldcitizen (@Worldcitizen) 1628708119
.@Mattel: promotes \u201cmost diverse line yet\u201d in Olympic collection\nAlso Mattel: neglects to include Asian Barbie dolls when the Olympics are literally being held in Tokyo talk about erasurepic.twitter.com/00W082MnlV— Phil Mok \ubaa9\uc6a9\uc218 \ue514\ue50c (@Phil Mok \ubaa9\uc6a9\uc218 \ue514\ue50c) 1628284118
The brand said they "will work to find more ways to champion all representation" since the backlash.
WHERE IS THE ASIAN BARBIE?!! SHAME ON YOU!! ITS TOKYO for heavens sake!!!— jules (@jules) 1628225923
that's vert @Mattel 's diversity pic.twitter.com/LXuaY64bZQ— Raccoon Nextdoor (@Raccoon Nextdoor) 1628380755
No Asians? No Pacific Islanders? How could you tag #tokyo2020 to this serious fail? #StopAsianHate— Raccoon Nextdoor (@Raccoon Nextdoor) 1628292984
It\u2019s beyond imagination that while more than 50% of world population is Asians and Olympics 2020 was hosted in an Asian countries, yet Mattel released a set without a single Asian doll but felt absolutely necessary to make 2 white Barbie dolls and call it the most diverse set.— Phat Nguyen (@Phat Nguyen) 1628707342
Many also pointed out the enormous amount of Asian hate that's increased during the pandemic.
Many athletes shared how anti-Asian hate has effected them going into the Olympics.
It\u2019s so fun to see white Barbie in a karate uniform. Take our culture, nod to Tokyo hosting the Olympics but say hell no to an Asian Barbie huh @Mattelhttps://twitter.com/Barbie/status/1420437588406685700\u00a0\u2026— KAT KIM (@KAT KIM) 1628311295
Representation matters!— The Resistance (@The Resistance) 1628614498
Here we go again. Lack of Asian representation from a global brand @Barbie. You would think that there was someone on the team there that would have noticed it prior to the release. I guess what they say is true, "ignorance is bliss".— Julie Kim (@Julie Kim) 1628343660
Seriously? APAHM was just in May and #antiAsianHate is still ongoing and with Sunisa Lee winning Gymnastic Gold, there isn't an obvious Asian American Barbie Olympian? Do Better.— Vincent Yee (@Vincent Yee) 1627775066
It\u2019s not difficult to produce inclusive products if you have diverse leadership. Seems that\u2019s missing at Mattel.— Jo Holmes (@Jo Holmes) 1628643449
Mattel's spokesperson gave a statement to HuffPost.
"Fostering a more inclusive world is at the heart of our brand and we strive to reflect that in our Barbie product line. With our Barbie Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 dolls, we celebrate a range of athletes to inspire kids to find their athlete within."
"However, our intention to represent the Asian community with the Skateboarder doll fell short and we fully receive and recognize the feedback."
"Moving forward, we will work to find more ways to champion all representation and celebrate the amazing achievements of all Olympic athletes, who are showing us that anything is possible."
It would be more accurate to note that the "skateboarding doll was meant to represent the Asian American community", but it doesn't look sufficiently East Asian. It appears that its eyes are too round for it to be clearly identified as such.— David Pittelli (@David Pittelli) 1628727191
Many also pointed out the historic win of Hmong American athlete Sunisa Lee who won gold in the women's gymnastics individual all-around.
ahem.pic.twitter.com/jqO8lyLECR— feedme (@feedme) 1627798379
Mattel admitted they needed to do better. Hopefully they'll consult members of the communities they hope to represent when making future design decisions.
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