Barbie hasn’t taken a break since she made her debut at the New York Toy Fair just over 60 years ago (via Time). She’s been busy, and has worn a few hats since then. In fact, she’s been many things including a corporate executive, an astronaut, a UNICEF ambassador, an athlete (with several sports including Major League Baseball and basketball under her belt), a rap musician, and a marine corps sergeant. She’s even run for president a few times (via Time). But it seems as though her handlers at toy company Mattel think its time Barbie took some time off, and they’ve worked with wellness app Headspace to introduce a Barbie Wellness series to emphasize the importance of self-care.
There are several dolls in the new Barbie Wellness line
The Barbie Wellness line features a selection of Barbie dolls doing things we’d love to do if we only had the time. The Barbie Face Mask Spa Day comes with an entire spa station with molds and a reusable Barbie dough so Barbie never needs to go without a rejuvenating facial. The Barbie Fizzy Bath Doll gets her own bathtub, bubble bath, and accessories including a loofah, bath brush, and a wood frame with a panda planter. And if you feel a doll doesn’t deserve something if you don’t have it yourself, you can pick up a Barbie Fitness Doll which comes with accessories so she can do yoga anytime she wants, a Barbie Spa Doll, or a Breathe With Me Barbie, which comes with five guided meditation exercises built into the doll. Every Barbie Wellness doll even comes with a puppy so she’s not alone (because those of us who have fur babies know that plastic pups who don’t wee, poo, need walks, and chew up everything are just the best).
The downside of Barbie Wellness
Surely Mattel’s Barbie division only had the best of intentions when it released the Barbie Wellness line. It says, “The collection teaches girls daily routines that promote emotional well-being and includes three key themes: meditation, physical well-being, and self-care; because Barbie knows to be one’s best is to give yourself the best care” (via Vice).
But the Internet isn’t buying it. Cosmopolitan says the collection simply highlights the fact that most of us don’t really have a clue when it comes to self-care and what it is meant to be, and that wellness is just a marketing strategy. If bringing home a Barbie Wellness doll (whose prices range from $15-$30) for your child means spending extra hours at work, you may want to skip the toy, hire a sitter, and take off for a real spa day instead. Your child will thank you.
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