#royalwomeninspire 

To celebrate its 60th anniversary Barbie and International Women’s Day, Barbie is paying homage to more than 20 Royal Women in their latest series of ‘Role Model’ dolls. The collection includes women from at least 18 countries, ranging from ages 18 to 85 years old and 13 languages, making the 2019 edition the most diverse and largest edition in the ‘Shero’ collection.

Among the honorees is ‘black-ish’ actress Yara Shahidi.

“I’m honored to be repping all the young ones as a Barbie Role Model,” the 19-year-old shared on her Instagram. “Let’s continue to inspire the next generation and each other We need your voices and are watching you all Blossom and shine.”

In 2019, Naomi Osaka defeated her idol, Serena Williams, to become the first Haitian-Japanese player to win the U.S. Open.

Adwoa Aboah is a British activist and supermodel. She is also the founder of Gurls Talk, an online platform for young women to freely topics such as mental health, education, self-care, and relationships.

“Seeing my own doll that has my skin color, shaved head, freckles and my tattoo’s is beyond mad,” Aboah wrote on her Instagram.  “I spent the majority of my childhood wishing for blonde hair, pining over Barbies light skin and blue eyes. All those years ago and I didn’t feel like I was represented anywhere. But today with my big toothy grin, I feel so very proud to have been awarded this Shero doll for all the hard work I have put into myself and @gurlstalk All I hope is that some little girl out there sees this and realizes that her wildest dreams are possible if she puts her mind to it.”

Proceeds from the sales will go towards Dream Gap Project, a global initiative “aimed at giving girls the resources and support they need to continue believing that they can be anything”, according to Mattel. The company adds that its research has shown that girls start doubting their potential as young as five.

“With more than 200 careers, six runs for president and a trip to the moon before Neil Armstrong, Barbie continues to evolve to be a modern, relevant role model for all ages,” Lisa McKnight, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Barbie, said in a press release.  “The Barbie brand believes girls should never know a world, job, or dream women haven’t conquered. Through our global platform, we are igniting a movement to help close the Dream Gap and further establish Barbie as the ultimate girl empowerment brand.” 

For a look at the other honorees for the 2019 ‘Shero’ collection and past years, click here