Two of Australia’s most celebrated tennis players Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Ash Barty have been honoured as one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls.
As a part of International Women’s Day celebrations, Mattel in Australia is recognising sportswomen and the power friendships between women of colour through Barbie.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I’d be a Barbie myself," said Barty.
"It’s just such an incredible experience to be a part of.”
The doll maker's tribute to female friendship includes a series of one-of-a-kind “Role Model” dolls, each inspired by powerful pairs whose bonds have shaped their careers and empowered their successes.
“When I first heard about it, I thought 'that is so cool' because it just came out of the blue ... I wasn’t expecting anything like this," said Goolagong Cawley.
Over in the U.S, Barbie’s career of the year is women and music and to celebrate multi-GRAMMY award winning artist, Alicia Keys will be honoured with her own doll.
Barbie is spotlighting two distinct professions: Musical Artist and Tour Managers.
The iconic doll brand teamed up with Keys, her recording and mix engineer, Ann Mincieli, and their She Is The Music initiative to honor women who chose a career in the music industry.
Mincieli is also a four-time GRAMMY award-winning engineer and producer, most known for engineering Alicia’s second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, as well as Keys' Girl On Fire.
The dolls will be wearing matching “She is the Music” t-shirts which will also be auctioned off via Bidding for Good, with proceeds benefitting the initiative.
Alicia’s doll is also wearing a sharp, dark denim suit in black heels and Ann is sporting a blue jacket with ripped jeans and high-top sneakers.
“This year’s Barbie Career of the Year set recognizes the accomplishments of women in music, while shining a spotlight on careers in the industry that might not be as well-known as a musical artist," said Krista Berger, senior vice president of
Barbie and the global head of dolls at Mattel.
The initiative is also designed to inspire the next generation of women and girls stepping into the music industry.
Only 22% of artists across music charts are female, similarly only 31% of tour managers worldwide are women.
Mattel said the Barbie Musical Artist doll and tour manager celebrates the women leaving their hearts on and off the stage and aims to encourage girls to explore limitless careers in music.
Related content
