Barbie Has Gone STEM

Mattel’s latest release of Barbies was created to honor different women of science during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hoping to inspire young girls by highlighting the importance of the scientific field, the company chose six outstanding role models for their dolls.

The British vaccinologist Sarah Gilbert is among the women who had a Barbie modelled after her. Gilbert helped lead the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, and Mattel recognized her work in a unique way.

British Vaccinologist Sarah Gilbert with the Barbie doll made in her honor

“Barbie recognizes that all frontline workers have made tremendous sacrifices when confronting the pandemic and the challenges it heightened,” said Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and global head of Barbie and Dolls at Mattel.

Among the group of six women, other renowned scientists can be identified. Jacqueline Goes de Jesus, a Brazilian biomedical researcher, was chosen for her leadership in the genome's sequencing of a COVID-19 variant in Brazil.

In honor of the tremendous work by nurses, Amy O’Sullivan will be represented in a doll. The emergency room nurse treated the first patient with coronavirus in Brooklyn, New York. After getting the virus herself and being intubated, she returned to work just two weeks later.

Kirby White was also among the celebrated women. The Australian Doctor is the co-founder of Gowns for Doctors, an initiative that develops reusable personal protective equipment.

Finally, Audrey Sue Cruz and Chika Stacy Oriuwa were honored for their persisting fight against racial prejudice. Working as a nurse in Nevada, U.S., Cruz “joined forces with other Asian-American physicians to fight racial bias and discrimination.” Similarly, Oriuwa is working as a psychiatry resident in Canada while she advocates for systemic racism in healthcare.

Each doll is wearing daily work clothes inspired by the attire worn by the real-life models. In Gilbert’s case, the doll is wearing a pantsuit and her characteristic oversized black glasses.

As a way of further spreading the message behind the dolls, Gilbert chose WISE (Women in Science & Engineering to receive a financial donation from Mattel. The scientist hopes that this contribution will help the non-profit organization inspire girls to choose careers in STEM.

“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,” she said. “My wish is that my doll will show children careers they may not be aware of, like a vaccinologist.”

Bibliography

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Isenberg, M. (2021, August 5) New Barbie dolls honor COVID-19 heroes, including a vaccine scientist [Photograph] CNET. https://www.cnet.com/news/new-barbie-dolls-honor-covid-19-heroes-including-a-vaccine-scientist/

Nuñez, X. (2021, August 5) Mattel's Barbie Turns Women Of Science, Including COVID Vaccine Developer, Into Dolls. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/08/05/1024888880/mattels-barbie-turns-women-of-science-including-a-covid-vaccine-developer-into-d

Reuters (2021, August 4) Barbie debuts doll in likeness of British COVID-19 vaccine developer. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/barbie-debuts-doll-likeness-british-covid-19-vaccine-developer-2021-08-03/

Saxena, H. (2021, August 5) Aussie GP honoured with her own Barbie [Photograph] AusDoc. https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/aussie-gp-honoured-her-own-barbie