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Mattel launches its first autistic Barbie (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 3 days ago by Valys@sh.itjust.works to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

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[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 34 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What is borderline exploitation for 100, Alex?

Sure kids need representation but wtf? Other than the box saying so, which is promptly trashed how are these any different than any other barbie? Kids with autism can just apply that attribute to any doll. This is just a cash grab.

[–] wjrii@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago

Jolanta Lasota, the chief executive of Ambitious about Autism, said: “Theoretically any Barbie can be reimagined as autistic, because autism doesn’t have one look. But representation is powerful and Barbie is an iconic toy, so we hope many autistic children feel pride at seeing some of their experiences reflected in this new doll.

Per the article, they tweaked the eyes so they look away slightly, made sure to use one of their fully articulated sculpts so she can move her arms to allow role-play of stimming, dressed her in clothes that would be loose and comfy, and gave her a fidget spinner, noise-canceling headphones, and augmentive-communication tablet.

To a certain extent, every Barbie is a cash grab, but this doesn't seem any worse than average, and not every family is going to take it as their mission to rise above every consumerist influence in their lives.