Forever a child’s favourite toy to play with, Barbie is now making waves as it makes history one doll at a time. Announcing a new doll, the company just unveiled its latest product, the Hijab-wearing doll as part of its annual Shero program.
The new doll is the newest addition, which honours admirable women and their achievements. This year, the brand selected US fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim American woman to compete in the Olympics while wearing a hijab. The athlete posed with her mini-me on Barbie’s Instagram today.
Ibtihaj, celebrated to the news on Instagram as well.
“I’m proud to know that little girls everywhere can now play with a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab!” she wrote in her caption. “This is a childhood dream come true”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbdNMnuB-Y9/?hl=en&taken-by=ibtihajmuhammad
The doll was unveiled during Glamour’s Woman of the Year live summit in Brooklyn, New York, where the Olympian was present on the stage.
“Barbie is celebrating Ibtihaj not only for her accolades as an Olympian, but for embracing what makes her stand out,” Sejal Shah Miller, Barbie’s vice-president of marketing, told Bustle in a statement. “Ibtihaj is an inspiration to countless girls who never saw themselves represented. By honoring her story, we hope this doll reminds them that they can be and do anything.”
Ibtihaj’s doll will be available for purchase in 2018.
