Barbie's ready to take on the world of STEM.
We all know Barbie to be the doll who can do and be anything. Barbie's been a dentist, an astronaut, a teacher, a fashion designer, a vet—she's done it all. But it wasn't until now that Barbie got into game developing.
That's right—Mattel has now joined the 21st century and has released a game developer Barbie. She comes complete with a tablet, laptop, headset, a realistic outfit and the coolest glasses. Her desk setup is pretty sweet too: He-Man and She-Ra action figures are lined up on her shelf, she's got a mug ready for her coffee or tea, and her screen displays an awesome new game she's working on (it even shows some of her coding!).
This is a huge improvement over Mattel's 2010 release of Computer Engineering Barbie, which was a massive disappointment. Not only did Computer Engineering Barbie come equipped with pink everything (headphones, computer, glasses, EVERYTHING!), the doll came with a book called Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer. Its anti-feminist undertone drew unwanted attention for Mattel that lead the company to issue an apology for publishing it in the first place. The book portrays Barbie in a negative light as she gives Skipper a computer virus and seeks out the help of two boys for her school project (ugh!).
A page from I Can Be A Computer Engineer. Photo: MattelMattel has finally got it right. Game Developer Barbie is an independent woman who doesn't need boys to help her. She's a professional who works on realistic games. And best of all, she will inspire many girls to enter the STEM fields.
Read more:
How to raise a feminist
Why girls need STEM and why STEM needs girls
18 STEM books your kids will love
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Emily is a content and social strategist, writer, editor and producer based in Toronto, Ontario. Her work can also be found in Chatelaine and on FLAREdotcom.