How Kids Really Feel About The New Diverse Barbie Dolls

"Oh, she's like me -- very tall."
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In January, Mattel announced three new body types for Barbie, as well as different skin colors and hair styles. BuzzFeed had kids check out the new dolls, and their reviews prove that representation truly matters.

In a video on BuzzFeed Yellow, kids examined the petite, tall and curvy dolls with various skin colors and hair styles. Many of them immediately saw themselves reflected in the dolls.

"Oh, so they're not as tall," one girl said. "Yay! Because I'm, like, really short."

"Oh, she's like me -- very tall," another girl added while examining a different doll.

Some of the kids identified with the new hair styles, and one little girl said she appreciated the curvy body type because "some people don't look that much like" the original Barbie dolls. Some other young reviewers had some different thoughts about the dolls, though.

One girl said they looked "really strange," but "normal, sort of." A little boy described the curvy Barbie as "more fat," even though the doll is still noticeably thin. Such descriptions show how the original Barbie body can influence kids on what they perceive as the ideal look for women. With the new dolls, kids will be able to not only see themselves represented, but understand that people come in different shapes and sizes.

Watching the other kids light up after seeing dolls that look like them is proof that Barbie is headed in the right direction. One little boy summed it up best.

"People now can see the resemblance of them in these types of Barbie dolls," he said.

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