Toy company Mattel decided to commemorate International Women’s Day, March 8, by honoring 17 historical and modern-day role models from around the world with stylized Barbie dolls.
Meet the honorary she-roes!
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author. She was the first female to pilot her way across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, as she attempted to circumnavigate the globe, her plane went down and she disappeared over the South Pacific in 1937. And now she’s a Barbie!
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican artist who painted many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. In the movie “Frida” Salma Hayek portrayed the visually striking Kahlo.
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson is an African-American mathematician who made contributions to the United States’ aeronautics and space programs with the early application of digital electronic computers at NASA. You may remember hearing about her in “Hidden Figures,” where she was played by Taraji P. Henson.
Gabby Douglas
Gabby Douglas is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the United States women’s national gymnastics team, dubbed the Fierce Five, at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she won gold medals in the individual all-around and team competitions. She was also a member of the gold-winning American team at the 2011 and the 2015 World Championships, and the all-around silver medalist at the 2015 World Championships. She was part of the Final Five at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she won gold in the team competition.
