Alex Morgan, Naomi Osaka and other great women who inspired Barbie dolls

For several years now, the famous maker of Barbie dolls has been trying to change its image. Indeed, the doll has long been considered a cliché for women, and not very feminist. That's why its manufacturer, Mattel, has launched dolls paying homage to powerful women who moved boundaries and changed the course of history. Discover our selection of Barbie dolls inspired by women of power. Girl Power!

In August 2021, Sarah Gilbert integrated a new series of dolls paying tribute to women scientists who are fighting against Covid-19. Co-designer of the AstraZeneca vaccine, this figurine must show the importance of women scientists. "I am passionate about inspiring the next generation of girls into STEM careers and hope that children who see my Barbie will realize how vital careers in science are to help the world around us. My wish is that my doll will show children careers they may not be aware of, like a Vaccinologist" she said.

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The American director and screenwriter made a name for herself with the film 'Monster'. It is thanks to the latter that Charlize Theron obtained the Oscar for best actress. The film received widespread critical acclaim. In 2011, Patty Jenkins was fired from the production of the film 'Thor: The Dark World,' because of artistic disagreements with Marvel. "They wanted to do a story that I thought was not going to succeed...  If they hired any guy to do it, it wouldn’t be a big deal" she explained. She will finally direct the film 'Wonder Woman', in 2017, hailed this time by feminists.

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Ashley Graham is a so-called 'Plus-Size' model. The face of several major brands, Ashley Graham is proud of her shape and her weight and openly shows her stretch marks. She militates against stereotypes, in particular, that which affirms that a perfect woman must be thin. She, therefore, advocates 'Body Positive', encouraging all women to assume their body as it is. She revealed her Barbie doll, which she created with Mattel, at the 2016 Glamor Women of the Year ceremony.

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Between 2002 and 2010, this journalist, traveler, and mountaineer reached the Seven Summits, the highest mountain on each of the seven continents: a real challenge. Since 2007 she has been the editor-in-chief of National Geographic Poland. Her doll was created in 2018.

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At age 16, at the 2012 London Games, Gabby Douglas became the first black – African American – gymnast to win gold in the all-around individual event. But that's not all: during the same edition of the Olympic Games, she won the gold medal in the team competition. The United States had not won an Olympic title in this discipline since 1996. Four years later, in Rio de Janeiro, she won her third Olympic gold medal, in the team competition.

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Misty Copeland is the first black ballerina promoted to star rank. From an early age, she stood out for her talents. However, during her adolescence in the middle of the classical, she was criticized for her shape: she is not as thin as the other star dancers. Her shape is more generous, she is more athletic: she contributed to changing the codes of American ballet. In 2007, she was the company's first African-American dancer to be named a soloist. In 2015, by becoming a prima ballerina at the ABT, Misty Copeland was the first black ballet dancer to perform Swan Lake at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

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In China, Xiaotong Guan is nicknamed 'Nation's Daughter', coming from a family of actors, she has been in films since she was young. In 2017, she became the ambassador for the 'World Day of Life'.

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Deaf and blind since the age of 2, she is the first person with a disability to have obtained a university degree. A figurehead of feminists, she has in turn: joined the American Foundation for the Blind, built schools for the blind around the world, but also fought for the rights of blacks and the poor, for peace, and for the rights of women - she was one of the suffragettes -.

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In 2013, striker Alex Morgan joined the club from Portland, in the new National Women's Soccer League. In 2015, she won her first World Cup against Japan. In 2016, Jean-Michel Aulas convinced her to join the Lyon team for 6 months. She won a French championship, a French Cup, and a Champions League. In 2017, she returned to her Orlando club. Then in 2019, she once again won the World Cup for the United States.

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Here again, we are faced with an icon of feminism. Throughout her life, Frida Kahlo fought against gender inequality. She also stood up against gender stereotypes and beauty standards. Openly bisexual, she defended 'this silent and submissive mass', in her words. Her life having been strewn with pitfalls, she represents the strong and independent woman. When Mattel released a doll of her in 2018, her family sued them. This commercial craze and the derivative products on which it appears seem indeed completely contradictory to her fights and her work.

(Twitter screenshot @Mattel)

She is the first woman to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean by plane in 1928. Then in 1932, she became the first woman to cross it alone. In 1935, she made the first solo flight from Hawaii to California, several times unsuccessful attempts by other aviators. She disappeared in the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937.

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Ibtihaj Muhammad is the first veiled athlete to represent the United States. In 2011, 2012, and 2013, she won the team bronze medal at the world championships. Then in 2016, she obtained a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. But she is also known for her commitment to the wearing of the veil for women in sport. During the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, she obtained permission from the International Olympic Committee to perform the competitions in hijab.

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An American physicist, mathematician, and space engineer, Katherine Johnson contributed to the aeronautical and space programs of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and then of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1950s. In 1969, she took part in sending the Apollo shuttle during the Apollo 11 mission, after which men landed on the moon for the first time. All her life, Katherine Johnson fought for the cause of women and the poor. In 2015 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2019 the United States Congress awarded her the Congressional Gold Medal.

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Florence Nightingale is little known outside of the medical field. Yet it was she who opened the nursing profession to women and created a model school. A pioneer of modern nursing care, and passionate about mathematics, she also contributed to the development of medical statistics. But she also played a role in the English feminist movement. In her essay 'Cassandre', she protests against the lack of autonomy of women.

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With her 129 titles, including twelve Grand Slam titles in singles, Billie Jean King is still considered today one of the greatest players of all time. She is also known for her commitment to gender equality and the recognition of women's sports. In 1973, she founded the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). In her honor, the Fed Cup was renamed after her in 2020.

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Naomi Osaka is the revelation of the 2016 season. In 2018, she confirmed it by winning the Indian Wells tournament. At just 21, she won both the US Open in 2018 and the Australian Open in 2019. She is the first Japanese, male or female, to win a Grand Slam tournament and top the world rankings. In 2020, she won her second US Open and a second Australian Open in 2021. On July 23, 2021, she was the last Olympic torchbearer. It was she who lit the cauldron in the National Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

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Sydney 'Mayhem' Keizer made a name for herself on social media in 2015, designing dresses she loved at star-studded ceremonies. All this with his 5-year-old equipment: colored paper, glue, and markers. Published in Vogue, she has collaborated with ready-to-wear brands like J.Crew.

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Eleanor Roosevelt is the wife of former President Franklin Roosevelt, but she is above all an activist from the start, defending the American movement for civil rights. She participated in the creation of the United Nations (UN) and was also the first delegate of the United States from 1945 to 1952. During the presidency of Harry S. Truman, she chaired the Human Rights Commission Rights of the United Nations and was responsible for drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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1955: America is torn apart by racial segregation. Working hard, and exhausted, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was arrested by the police and ordered to pay a fine. By appealing her judgment, she became the face of a national civil rights movement.

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Maya Angelou is a symbol of the African-American community and the American civil rights movement. She is known for her autobiographical 'I know why the caged bird sings' from 1969, where she recounts her life until the age of 17, and 'A plane ticket to Africa' from 1986. In 2018, she joined Nelson Mandela to fight apartheid in South Africa. She is a reference for many African-American personalities, including journalist Oprah Winfrey who regularly pays tribute to her.

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This doll is a limited edition, nowadays very difficult to find. It was actually made when the singer was part of Destiny's Child. So there are also dolls of Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. As for Beyoncé, do we still need to introduce her? In addition to dominating the entire music industry for more than 10 years, Beyoncé has been widely engaged in the feminist struggle, but also in the fight for the rights of black Americans and against systemic racism.

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Chloe Kim is a double gold medalist at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games when she was 16 years old. In 2018, she has crowned the youngest Olympic champion in snowboarding history in Pyeongchang.

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Camila Cabello has entered into a partnership with the Children's Health Fund association, an NGO which offers care to children from underprivileged social classes. Since 2017, she has been working alongside the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. After the election of Donald Trump, she dedicated her most famous song 'Havana', to the 'Dreamers': these minor immigrants who entered the United States illegally and who benefit from a two-year moratorium on their deportation and the eligibility for a work permit. She is also known for her feminist commitments and her fight against outdated and misogynistic standards of beauty.

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Hélène Darroze is a French chef, with two Michelin stars in France for her restaurant 'Marsan' and three stars in the UK 'Hélène Darroze at The Connaught'. In 2015, she was named 'Best female chef in the world' in the annual '50 Best' ranking.

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Ella Fitzgerald is certainly the undisputed queen of Jazz, but also one of the most influential women of the past century. An orphan, who became diabetic as an adult, she found success after a life of fierce struggle. Diabetes made her blind and she had to have both legs amputated. Very committed to the fight against racism, but also to the protection of children, she very often donated money to associations for disadvantaged children. A very great lady who largely deserves her doll.

(Twitter screenshot @Mattel)

Mattel paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by presenting a Barbie in her likeness on her 96th birthday on 21 April 2022. It was a way of celebrating her platinum jubilee, the 70th year of her reign - the longest in the history of the British monarchy.

Screenshot @Mattel

She wears a long ivory-colored dress, high thin gloves, as well as a blue ribbon decorated with miniature medallions. And, of course, she wears her crown! This tiara is inspired by the model worn by the Queen on her wedding day to Prince Philip, inherited from Queen Mary.

Screenshot @Mattel