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

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.