It’s refreshing to see a whole new Barbie. What little girl in the past half century didn’t have a Barbie doll growing up?! I agree with the incomparable Queen Latifah, who said in People Magazine recently, “This is groundbreaking. Barbie is iconic.”  

Barbie is 57 years old now (boyfriend Ken is a couple of years her junior). The model for the original Barbie had long blonde hair and almost unobtainable proportions. Now, three new body types-tall, petite and curvy-will be available along with the original. And another big change is that there will be dolls with different skin tones and hair textures.

Kids need to have relatable role models. This is a very tough world for children. They are exposed to terrible events on a daily basis- through both traditional and social media. It’s sobering enough for us as adults to cope with the horrors of mall, theater and school shootings; not to mention terrorist attacks. Fear is not just in their heads. There are real dangers lurking in our own backyards.  
The last things girls or boys should have to worry about is if they fit into an ‘ideal’ mold. Very few attain the physical perfection of a Barbie, that is, unless they were born that way or succumb to the expertise of a skilled plastic surgeon.

Kids should be able to accept themselves as they are; not matter what background, hair color, skin tone, height or weight happens to be.  I say bravo to Mattel for marketing Barbies that try to reflect the general population rather than one particular type. Remember, in the words of songwriter Ray Steven’s way back in 1970:
“Everything is beautiful in it's own way. Like a starry summer night. Or a snow covered winter's day. And everybody's beautiful in their own way.” Let’s keep it this way.