Barbie Gets a Makeover! See the New Petite, Curvy and Tall Dolls

Mattell has given its iconic Barbie doll a new body.

In a move that celebrates the female body in its many shapes and sizes, Barbie has released dolls with three new body types: curvy, tall, and petite.

Barbie, the world’s most famous doll, has a new body.

Dolls with the new bodies are available for preorder at shop.mattel.com, and will ship in February.

Barbie has come under fire over the years for its anatomically inaccurate portrayal of a woman’s body, even prompting some to create more relatable, realistic alternatives.

Richard Dickson, president and chief operating officer at Mattel, said: “Barbie has reflected the world girls see around them”.

“We believe we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty”, Barbie brand manager Evelyn Mazzocco said in a statement.

A 2006 British study (PDF) found that “girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape” than those who had been given dolls reflecting larger body types or no dolls at all.

“Thank you @Barbie”, one Twitter user posted Thursday.

In June, the company’s Fashionista line added new features that brought up the total number of different skin tones to eight, facial structures to 14, hair styles to 22, and eye colors to 18, Adweek reports. “And so, I think we’ll see in the next couple of years, these new diverse Barbies flying off the shelf”, said Penny Frank, a licensed professional counselor with Colorado Counseling and Consulting Center.

“Girls everywhere now have infinitely more ways to play out their stories and spark their imaginations through Barbie”, the announcement reads. While Barbie will always be a classic, one has to wonder if their latest collection will be successful, or if they’ve been passed over for doll lines that were quicker to adapt.