Not only do Barbie dolls cause eating disorders, they now, apparently, encourage stereotypes.
The chairman and co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, Felix Sanchez, told Fox News Latino that the new “Dolls of the World” collection by Barbie is promoting cultural stereotypes.
The new line of dolls by Mattel, the makers of Barbie, is working to appeal to a more diverse generation of doll owners.
The line looks to represent a variety of different countries as the dolls sport different styles of clothing and have different skin tones.
A Mattel spokesperson told Fox News Latino that girls today enjoy learning about different cultures. “The Barbie brand understands the significance of introducing new cultures to girls in a relatable way,” spokeswoman Sara Rosales said.
As a result of extensive company research, the dolls’ physique “celebrates both the country’s heritage and culture,” Rosales said.
Despite research, the new line of dolls has received criticism for promotion of stereotypes.
“It would be nice to see some contemporary images from these countries,” Sanchez told Fox News Latino. “These images seem very dated and seem to have been created for a different time.”