Representation vs tokenism: How does Barbie really rate?
By Pieta Bouma
Barbie-mania has recently been sweeping across the globe, in a fever-pitch pink excitement fueled by nostalgia and an eye-wateringly high marketing budget. We watch the Barbie movie now in the age of diversity and inclusion with a more critical gaze and higher expectations of representation.
The toy brand behind Barbie, Mattel, claims it has “the most diverse doll range on the market”, with dolls available with vitiligo, a prosthetic arm, a wheelchair user, a doll with hearing aids, a doll without hair, and a doll with Down syndrome. All of these are part of a wider diversification of the dolls range, with dolls available that have different skin colours and hairstyles, with a fatter body shape than the typical stick-thin Barbie and a gender neutral doll. I fully commend Mattel's commitment to widening its range of Barbie dolls available. We know why representation matters. It matters for disabled people to see themselves valued and belonging in society. It matters for children to be able to have a character that looks like themselves to enter into the world of imagination. But it’s not only important for disabled children to see themselves represented, it’s about non-disabled children being introduced to disability and diversity and having a chance to think about it, talk about it and normalise it. That is to say, it’s not only important for children to be able to play with a doll that looks like them, it’s also important for children to be able to play with dolls that look completely different from them. Especially with disability, which is still so stigmatised, having toys with disabilities helps demystify disability for children, which counters stigma and creates more empathy. The world of toys should reflect the real world.
The reality is though, this wonderful diverse range of dolls probably isn’t making its way into Kiwi homes – the shelves of toy-stores and K-mart, do not stock the full range of Barbie dolls. Barbie in a wheelchair is easily available, but the wider range of barbies with disabilities don’t seem to be available in stores, meaning that children presumably aren’t actually playing with the wonderful range of disabled toys.
And what about Barbie on the big screen? I went to see the Barbie movie excited to see Barbie in a wheelchair after a friend told me she featured in the film. I came out underwhelmed, but not surprised. It’s pretty easy to sum up the disabled representation – there’s a barbie with a prosthetic arm who is an aide to the president who features for a few seconds near the start, and a barbie in a wheelchair who leads the “Dance the Night” sequence briefly. Later on in the movie, and only because I was paying attention, I saw another Barbie in a wheelchair sitting in the background. Overall the disabled representation is… something. I was pleased that they included Barbie in a wheelchair in an active scene, participating as part of the group doing a sport, and in a cool sports wheelchair with pink highlights. However, neither of the disabled barbies had speaking roles, or played an important part in the plot. Once again, there’s a token effort but it’s still disappointing. It feels a little bit like the disabled Barbies were just brought in for a few seconds to check another community off the list of people to be represented.
The lack of disabled representation in Barbie reflects a broader issue in Hollywood – 2.3% of speaking characters in the 100 top-grossing films of 2019 were disabled, a big gap from the one in six people globally with a significant disability. The organisation behind this study says this gap is the most significant within the “inclusion crisis in film.” As consumers and advocates for change, we hold the power to demand better from the entertainment industry. The statistics don't lie: the lack of disabled representation in Hollywood is a glaring gap in the larger conversation about diversity and inclusion. By critiquing big, popular films like Barbie for their shortcomings in representation, we send a clear message to film producers that we notice when we are left out, and we expect better. It's through our collective demand for improved representation that we can continue to push the boundaries of inclusivity in the world of entertainment.
In the end, it's not just about the dolls our children play with or the characters they see on screen. It's about fostering empathy, breaking down stereotypes, and creating a more equitable world where everyone, regardless of their abilities, feels seen and valued. The journey toward true representation may be ongoing, but each step forward brings us closer to a more inclusive and empathetic society.