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Jhumkas and bangles, bold brows and dusky skin — step aside, desi Barbie has arrived

Jhumkas and bangles, bold brows and dusky skin — step aside, desi Barbie has arrived

Deepica Mutyala, the CEO of a multicultural beauty community, collaborated with Barbie Style to design the doll.
04 Mar, 2022

It's 2022 and Barbie is no longer just a blonde, white girl with Eurocentric beauty ideals — she's a diverse doll that celebrates inclusivity. That's the idea Barbie Style — a curated shop of exclusive, signature products from leading female-founded brands — is trying to promote by introducing designs that go beyond the constricted image of the OG Barbie. It collaborated with Deepica Mutyala, CEO of Live Tinted, a community that celebrates beauty and culture, to design the doll.

"Meet 2022’s Barbie. Her skin is TINTED, her eyes big, and brows bold. She wears her jhumkas & bangles proud with her power suit. She is ready to take on the world. Her identity is hers," Mutyala captioned an Instagram post announcing the collaboration. "She breaks cultural barriers; aims high with intention. Leads with empathy & kindness. A fearless go-getter with a deep desire to make an impact in the world. She’s a CEO. THIS is the new Barbie."

The South Asian beauty entrepreneur and businesswoman called it a "dream collab" saying it was just in time for Women’s History Month which is March in the US. "HUGE shoutout to the Barbie Style team for creating this one-of-a-kind doll to celebrate our collab!" Mutyala talked about how important it is for young girls out there to see a South Asian American Barbie "paving her own path and turning her dreams into a reality by unapologetically being herself.

"Although this doll isn’t for sale (yet), I’m grateful this visual representation exists. This is the next step towards our mission of creating a more inclusive world for the next generation," she concluded.

Barbie Style was introduced in 2014 to celebrate Barbie as a global icon in the digital age. The channel shows the breadth of the diversity offered in the Barbie product line, "highlighting the most diverse and inclusive doll line on the market," the website reads.

The first-ever product collaboration from Barbie’s fashionable Instagram account, the Barbie Style Collection is a curated shop of exclusive, signature products from leading female-founded brands. In honour of Women’s History Month, Mattel will donate a percentage of its proceeds from sales and will match the donation (up to $50,000) to the Barbie Dream Gap Project Fund during the month of March.

It's about time we got a desi Barbie — we only wish this Barbie was for sale! Representation has impact and can make a person feel seen and heard, and sometimes people need to be reminded there are people like them out there and they’re not alone. Something as small as creating a doll that represents a community can actually do great things.

Comments

M. Saeed Mar 04, 2022 04:34pm
Love for hallucination right from birth !
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Truth Mar 04, 2022 04:37pm
So, why not call her ''Desi Bhabhi" instead of Barbie?? Why adopt the Western name for the doll?
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Skeptic Mar 04, 2022 04:40pm
Oh Joy! Yet, every little girl, in all corners of the world, still hears, reads or sees images of a White Cinderella, or a Princess, which is more often then not, is White, with blue eyes, wearing a long gown and a crown. Where is the Desi version of that, with locally written fairy tales and darker skin for little girls in the southern hemisphere to admire??
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Dr. Salaria, Ahmed Part II Mar 04, 2022 04:45pm
Why would this be news?
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Nads Mar 04, 2022 05:09pm
Is it my imagination or does this Barbie look a little sly.. with the slanting eyes and curved smile
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Tadka Mar 04, 2022 05:15pm
Looks matured too
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Soniye Tu Auder Te La Mar 04, 2022 05:18pm
Oh wow, after like 60 years; they decided to bring an Indian version. Don't know whether to feel happy or sad. But, I guess the whiteys can change their thinking over time.
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Constantine Mar 04, 2022 05:24pm
Awesome!
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Alishba Mar 04, 2022 05:47pm
Barbie is beautiful ❤️
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Keenobserver Mar 04, 2022 05:52pm
Desi Barbie is not equivalent to desi glamour beauty, because Barbie got to be westernized.
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New yorker Mar 04, 2022 05:59pm
What has it to do with Pakistan ?
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Mehrunisa Mar 04, 2022 07:05pm
The only thing this barbie has common with a desi girl is her skin color, and maybe some jewelry, this barbie still has body proportions of a European woman. South asians donot have this body proportions. When will we get out of these beauty standards that pay homage to European beauty standards. Her clothes are western she is not wearing any taditonal south asian clothes. This is the version of desi woman that apeals to the west.
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Mahmood Mar 04, 2022 07:09pm
@New yorker As if there are no little girls in Pakistan who own Barbie dolls??
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NYS Mar 04, 2022 07:17pm
@Soniye Tu Auder Te La consolidated
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Zameera Rihai Mar 04, 2022 08:27pm
Desi Barbie is still depicting a picture of perfect brown girl. Then what was wrong with white Barbie? she is reinforcing the idea of being perfect in other way
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Jj Mar 04, 2022 09:22pm
She resembles Veena Malik.
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Moju Mar 05, 2022 01:35am
Is this Priyanka's version of Barbie?
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NN Mar 05, 2022 01:39am
Ridiculous...
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Ibrahim S Mar 05, 2022 01:48am
@Nads - Well , she got your attention - just stop drooling over her please , it’s just a doll .
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UFO Mar 05, 2022 04:37am
She is scary
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Doost Mar 05, 2022 06:01am
Snake charm!
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Abdul Baqi Mar 05, 2022 09:12am
Looks like Priyanka Chopra.
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Jalandra Mar 05, 2022 10:18am
@Zameera Rihai Oh, so "white" means perfection? How sick!!!
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ExPak Mar 05, 2022 08:38pm
Oh, hurray! Finally! Not!
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Sunshine Mar 05, 2022 08:51pm
Desi in desi attire please....shalwar kameez , kurta pajamas, dupattas, shawl and khussas
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Ehtisham Mar 05, 2022 09:49pm
@Truth some people use bhabhi word in a negative way so I don't think so that bhabhi is a good word for the doll. Bhabhi word relates to mother and is a good word in moral ethics. You can say desi girl.
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Laila Mar 07, 2022 03:46am
@New yorker well Pakistan, India, Bangladesh fall under the Desi umbrella..
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Laila Mar 07, 2022 03:46am
@Jj don't insult the Desi barbie!
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