Mattel has released a Filipina Barbie during Filipino American History Month. The doll is a part of the Styled By Design series.
According to Carlyle Nuera, the designer of Filipina Barbie, the series allows designers to pick which direction they want to take the Barbie.
“I could have designed anything but I knew this was an opportunity to do something meaningful for my people in the spirit of representation,” Nuera wrote in an Instagram post. “Being Filipino is my most foundational identity. I’ve always been proud to be Filipino, and that’s thanks to my family, my parents, siblings, cousins, aunts & uncles, the way we grew up.”
Nuera designed Mutya Barbie in 2015, describing that Barbie as more “demure.” The new Barbie wears the same bracelet as Mutya Barbie in order to create a link between the two.
“This Barbie is so meaningful to me, I could write a thesis about her, but this limited character count for captions! So I’ll be doing multiple posts about my references and inspirations, the incredible Mattel team that brings a dream goddess like this one to life, and more,” Nuera wrote.
Filipina Barbie is available for pre-order online.
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