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Newest Barbie doll is ‘monumental,’ Down syndrome advocate says

May 14, 2023 Catholic News Agency 2
Mattel’s newest Barbie doll / Photo courtesy of Mattel

Denver Newsroom, May 14, 2023 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Many little girls grow up playing with Barbie dolls and wishing that a doll would look just like them. Now, little girls with Down syndrome can live this dream. The American toy company Mattel announced April 25 that the first Barbie with Down syndrome would soon be hitting the shelves.

The first Barbie doll was released on March 9, 1959. Over the years, Mattel has released several kinds of Barbies representing different shapes, sizes, races, and ethnicities. In 1980, Mattel released the first Black and Hispanic dolls named Barbie. In 2015, three new body types were introduced: curvy, petite, and tall. And in 2022, the first Indian Barbie was manufactured. Currently, Barbie features 35 skin tones, 97 hairstyles, and nine body types. 

Now Mattel is making headlines with their newest Barbie, who represents someone with Down syndrome, and it has already sold out online. 

To ensure an accurate representation, Barbie worked with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), a group that empowers those with Down syndrome by working to create policy change, provide resources, and engage with local communities.

According to a press release from Mattel, the new doll features a new face and body sculpt to more accurately represent a woman with Down syndrome. The doll’s yellow- and blue-colored dress is patterned with butterflies, symbols, and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness. The doll also wears a pink pendant necklace with three upward chevrons, representing the three copies of the 21st chromosome. Additionally, this new Barbie is wearing pink ankle foot orthotics (AFOs), as some children with Down syndrome wear AFOs to support their feet and ankles.

“As the most diverse doll line on the market, Barbie plays an important role in a child’s early experiences, and we are dedicated to doing our part to counter social stigma through play,” said Lisa McKnight, executive vice president and global head of Barbie and Dolls, Mattel, in the press release. 

“Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie while also encouraging children to play with dolls who do not look like themselves,” she said. “Doll play outside of a child’s own lived experience can teach understanding and build a greater sense of empathy, leading to a more accepting world.”

Erin Thielman, a Down syndrome advocate and mother of three, said she’s grateful for the new doll because her youngest son, Andrew, has Down syndrome. 

“So many people support those with Down syndrome, yet there is a lack of representation for our wonderful community with regards to dolls and toys,” she said in an interview with CNA. “I found out about the new doll from social media. I follow many teenagers and adults with Down syndrome. It warmed my heart so much to see them so happy and excited.”

Thielman added: “A doll that represents girls with Down syndrome is monumental. It helps to inspire not only representation but also, it inspires confidence. With these dolls, girls with Down syndrome can hold their heads even higher knowing that they are special.”

Thielman’s 10-year-old daughter, Abby, was also thrilled to see the new Barbie. When Abby was 8 years old she reached out to Mattel asking them to make a doll with Down syndrome. They responded quickly saying they loved the idea and would pass it along. When Abby saw this new doll, tears of joy filled her eyes.

“I feel happy about the new doll because it embraces the beauty and amazing-ness in people who are unique, especially children with Down syndrome,” Abby said in an interview with Pro-Life Update. “You should never think of a disability as a disability; you should think of it as a different ability.”

In the United States nearly 70% of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in the womb are aborted. When Thielman received the prenatal diagnosis for Andrew, abortion was suggested.

“Unfortunately, too many babies who are diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome aren’t given the same chance as Andrew. And it breaks my heart,” Thielman expressed.

She is hopeful this new doll will bring light to this sad reality and show how children with Down syndrome are “intentional blessings from God.”

“Perhaps a Ken doll with Down syndrome? Barbie needs a friend!” she added.

You can find resources to help those raising a child with Down syndrome here.

[…]

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Church commission investigates Baltimore Archdiocese role in slavery

May 12, 2023 Catholic News Agency 3
A view of Baltimore’s basilica nestled amid the city’s famed row houses. / Public domain

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 12, 2023 / 14:40 pm (CNA).

A 17-member commission created by the Archdiocese of Baltimore will investigate the roles that bishops, clergy, and other prominent Catholic figures within the archdiocese played in American slavery.

The commission, which is still in its early stages, includes academics, archivists, and other researchers who are poring through old documents for information on the subject. The commission first met in March and hopes to unveil some of its findings to the public within the fall of this year. 

“It’s striking that … Catholics, clergy and lay, are people of their times and accepted the institution of slavery as just part of life in America,” Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese, told CNA. “It’s very sad to say that.”

Lewandowski said the commission is engaging in “significant research” at the moment and said the goal is to eventually make the history known to the public. Although the means by which they will unveil the information are yet to be decided, he said it could be through articles, presentations, a web page online, or something in document form.

The archdiocese will also use the material for education within churches and schools.

“[We plan to] use it, for example, at the parish level, in Catholic schools, [in the] seminary, [in] education [and] formation so the history is known,” Lewandowski said.

In addition to education, Lewandowski added that the archdiocese intends to “prayerfully reflect” on the information, and the commission will provide recommendations on “atonement and reparations” for the role of the archdiocese in slavery. 

“This is part of an ongoing process … of coming to terms with racism in the present by looking deeply in the past,” Lewandowski said. 

“We also want to engage the community … [and] evaluate the efficacy of our approaches to systemic racism in the archdiocese,” Lewandowski continued.

The idea for a commission sprang from a working group that developed into a permanent structure in the archdiocese called the Racial Justice Coordinating Council. The group, which interviewed nearly 80 people about their experiences with racism within the archdiocese, provided recommendations on racial justice. At a later date, the council requested a serious study into the archdiocese’s participation in slavery. 

“That working group came up with a significant number of recommendations for the archbishop to implement,” Lewandowski said. “And those fell into different categories: education, clergy and seminary formation, the Catholic Center and its internal workings. So, a number of different recommendations.”

Lewandowski added that the participation in slavery is part of the history of the archdiocese, and “we need to continually address it.”

“This is just part of the next phase,” the bishop said.

[…]