Well meant – also well done?
The overall impression is as vague as the details are coherent. The first reactions on the web: “Somehow undecided”. This is also the opinion of Tabea Mewes, whose brother has trisomy 21. A spontaneous survey on her Instagram channel “notjustdown” whether the new Barbie actually has Down syndrome says the majority: No.
Marcel Consée’s verdict is cautiously positive – he is the head of the Munich initiative Down-Kind eV “Mattel probably wants to increase its sales with the campaign,” he suspected in the BR24 interview. In principle, however, he thinks it is “a good thing, especially in the current debate about representation, if children are given dolls in which they can identify”. And vice versa: when children play with dolls that look different from them.
Lebenshilfe hopes for more open ideals of beauty
Ulla Schmidt, Federal Chairwoman of Lebenshilfe, assumes that girls with trisomy 21 could identify well with the new Barbie – and then find themselves more easily beautiful. “There are already young women with Down syndrome who work as models, like Ellie Goldstein, Madeline Stuart or Sofia Jirau,” says Schmidt.
“There are also other manufacturers”
For those who prefer not to immerse themselves in the Barbie cosmos, Marcel Consée has the tip ready that there are also other, somewhat smaller suppliers of “various” dolls. The topic of trisomy can be found, for example, in the Tolimoli range or in diversity toys; in both cases with a clearer appearance.
As a decision-making aid, Consée gives a piece of advice that is as simple as it is practical: “The children can easily choose that for themselves.
2023-04-26 15:04:05
#Barbie #Syndrome #Progress #Marketing
