Most individuals will know Barbie for its iconic if divisive ‘blonde bombshell’ doll. However in recent times, her proprietor Mattel has been branching out from Barbie’s trademark lengthy locks, skinny waist and excessive heels to a wider vary of dolls that symbolize different physique varieties and lives.
Now Eastenders star Rose Ayling-Ellis is the newest celeb to workforce up with the model, launching the primary Barbie who has behind-the-ear listening to aids.
Ayling-Ellis, 27, who was the primary deaf contestant to compete in and win Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 wrote on Instagram of the launch: “It’s so vital for kids to have the ability to see themselves represented within the toys they play with.”
She added: “After I was little, I might draw listening to aids on my Barbie dolls to make them seem like me, so I’m thrilled that Mattel is releasing extra dolls that encourage youngsters to rejoice and embrace their variations.”
Many within the deaf group have welcomed her new doll. Instagram consumer @ooneybop responded on to Ayling-Ellis: “That is superb! After I had my first listening to support, my mum made my teddies little cardboard listening to aids so I felt much less lonely. It’s so vital that toys are extra inclusive.”
One other follower @celebratebsl added: “I, too, mentioned my dolls have been deaf after I was little (which was a very long time in the past) and see so many deaf kids who’re ashamed of their listening to aids. It will go a great distance in direction of normalising deafness as a part of a various society.”
And @Trettjoanna shared: “I used to be embarrassed after I needed to begin carrying listening to aids & used to cowl up with my hair. Such a constructive step ahead.”
In addition to working with Ayling-Ellis, Mattel consulted on the brand new Barbie with audiologist Dr Jenny Richardson, founding father of the Listening to Milestones Basis, who mentioned she was “honoured” to work to precisely painting listening to aids.
The Fashionistas assortment additionally features a Ken doll with the pores and skin situation vitiligo, and two extra Barbies, one in a wheelchair, and one other with a prosthetic leg.
The visibility of deafness in popular culture has been increasing, with celebrities like Ayling-Ellis applauded for giving confidence to different deaf individuals who could also be afraid of being judged – or missed.
Collectively along with her skilled Strictly associate Giovanni Pernice, Ayling-Ellis received the Viewers award for Should-See TV Second of the yr at this yr’s Bafta’s for his or her present dance to Clear Bandit’s Symphony – which included a piece carried out in full silence to speak her expertise of the world.
And since their Strictly sequence, British Signal Language (BSL) has been recognised as an official language, a win for the onerous work of charities and campaigners over years. Pernice additionally made lots of his latest UK exhibits BSL-interpreted.
Different latest TV illustration contains this yr’s Love Island sequence on ITV2, which launched its first deaf contestant, mannequin Tasha Ghouri, who wears a cochlear implant, designed to provide somebody with average to profound listening to loss additional sound notion.
Ghouri obtained widespread assist from many on social media – although deaf journalist Liam O’Dell referred to as out the ableist feedback she obtained from some viewers and even among the contestants within the villa.
In an interview on O’Dell’s Limping Hen weblog, Ayling Ellis mentioned she hoped toy makers would now symbolize a “vary of Deaf folks”, together with completely different races, cochlear implant customers, deaf folks with disabilities and BSL signers.
And Barbie aren’t the primary to go there – O’Dell shouted out the Toy Like Me marketing campaign, launched by deaf author Rebecca Atkinson, which made a Deaf Tinker Bell with a pink cochlear implant in 2015.
Bev Carter, senior listening to support audiologist at Listening to Direct, mentioned youthful generations would see the constructive impression of the Barbie collaboration.
“Listening to loss is usually invisible and underrepresented, however mainstream media and tradition helps to lift consciousness of the completely different challenges, open up conversations, take away stigmas, and in addition make the world round us extra inclusive,” she mentioned.
“I might urge anybody who thinks they could be experiencing a change of their listening to to e-book a take a look at as quickly as attainable. There are such a lot of options on the market now that may assist everybody coping with all ranges of listening to loss.
“You’ll be able to even e-book free preliminary listening to checks on-line, so there’s by no means been a neater time to take these vital first steps.”
