It’s been quite a month for Olympic hero Chloe Kim: Beginning with her gold medal in the Winter Olympics, she made the Sports Illustrated cover, had her likeness on a cereal box, guest starred on Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk show and got a shoutout during the Oscars from best actress winner Frances McDormand.
How do you top all that? Well, you get a Barbie doll in your image. It’s a pretty good likeness of Chloe too, down to the color of her hair to having her own snowboard with the Olympic mascot clinging to it. Not bad for a 17-year old from California.
Barbie is honoring 17 historical and modern-day role models from around the world. These women come from diverse backgrounds and fields and are breaking boundaries to inspire the next generation of girls. With 81 percent* of moms globally worried about the type of role models their children are exposed to, Barbie is igniting a conversation around the importance of positive role models.
Ahh! Im so happy to be honored as a @Barbie Shero alongside these incredible women! #InternationalWomensDay #Barbie pic.twitter.com/U0J7ajM0Sd
— Chloe Kim (@chloekimsnow) March 6, 2018
“As a brand that inspires the limitless potential in girls, Barbie will be honoring its largest line up of role models timed to International Women’s Day because we know that you can’t be what you can’t see,” said Lisa McKnight, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Barbie.
Sparking a global conversation leading up to International Women’s Day, the Barbie brand is honoring 14 modern-day role models through its Shero program. The toy company honors women who have broken boundaries in their fields and have been an inspiration to the next generation of boys and girls with a one-of-a-kind doll made in their likeness.
Besides Kim, other Global honorees include:
- Patty Jenkins, Filmmaker, USA – The first woman in history to helm a film with a budget in excess of 100 million dollars for Wonder Woman, which broke the record for Biggest Grossing Live-Action Film Directed by a Woman – domestic and worldwide
- Bindi Irwin, Conservationist, Australia – International award-winning wildlife conservationist and celebrity who inherited her father’s passion for wildlife and is dedicated to inspiring the next generation to make a difference in the world
- Nicola Adams, Boxing Champion, UK – Two-time gold medalist who is Great Britain’s most successful female boxer of all time and is the only female boxer in the history of the sport to have held all four amateur titles
- Çağla Kubat, Windsurfer, Turkey – Champion windsurfer and member of the Fenerbahçe sailing and windsurfing team who founded her own windsurfing school for young surfers
- Hélène Darroze, World-Renowned Chef, France – Inspirational fourth-generation French chef with three restaurants and two Michelin stars
- Hui Ruoqi, Volleyball Champion, China – Fifteenth Captain of the Chinese women’s national volleyball team who also won gold in the 2016 summer games
- Leyla Piedayesh, Designer and Entrepreneur, Germany – Iranian immigrant and founder of fashion label Lala Berlin that incorporates urban-cool and elegant-chic elements in its high-quality knitwear
- Lorena Ochoa, Professional Golfer, Mexico – Athlete, mother, entrepreneur and unbreakable promoter of golf in Mexico
- Martyna Wojciechowska, Journalist, Poland – TV presenter, magazine editor, author, director and the second Polish woman to conquer the Seven Summits
- Sara Gama, Soccer Player, Italy – Captain of Juventus and Italian national soccer team, member of the Federal Board and President of Commission for the development of women’s soccer
- Xiaotong Guan, Actress and Philanthropist, China – Ambassador for “World Life Day,” a joint campaign by the United Nations Environment Program, International Fund for Animal Welfare and The Nature Conservancy, and known as the “Nation’s Daughter” in China
- Yuan Tan, Prima Ballerina, China – Prima ballerina and principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet and guest principal dancer at the Hong Kong Ballet
- Vicky Martin Berrocal, Entrepreneur and Fashion Designer, Spain – Leads the creative direction of Victoria Company with collections that include festive costumes, flamenco dresses, gowns, handbags and jewelry.
In addition, Mattel introduced the Inspiring Women doll line series. These historical dolls come with educational information about the contributions each woman made to society and their respective fields. The first three dolls in this series are:
- Amelia Earhart – First female aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, courageously challenging the conventions of the times by breaking and setting aviation records
- Frida Kahlo – Artist who gained recognition for her unique style and perspective, and became a celebrated artist, activist and symbol of strength
- Katherine Johnson – Pioneer in mathematics who broke through barriers of race and gender, and joined a pool of women hired by NASA to work as ‘human computers’ to calculate the trajectory of the first American-manned flight into space
For more information on the global role models and program, click here.
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RE: Chloe Kim Doll Unveiled: Really cool. Was never a fan of Barbies but this calls for congratulations for promoting diversity and strong female models. I love the VP’s quote: “…can’t what you can’t see.” Gonna use that in my grants and speeches for my non-profit kinetic storytelling theater org Eth-Noh-Tec!