There’s a petition calling for a Laverne Cox Barbie for transgender representation in toys
The stereotypical gender-normed Barbie dolls are so 2017. And a petition on Change.org wants to keep it that way. It’s calling for a new transgender Barbie.
The petition, started by Jason Preston, begins by referencing the March 6, 2018 Mattel announcement about their new Inspiring Women Barbie Doll line. In it, Lisa McKnight, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Barbie, wrote that “girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers” and that they’re excited to highlight ”real life role models to remind them that they can be anything.”
— Laverne Cox becomes the first trans woman on the cover of Cosmopolitan —
Well, Preston’s “real life role model” in the sphere of Transgendered persons is Laverne Cox.
“Laverne Cox is the definition of the ‘inspiring woman,” he wrote. “To many young women and men around the world Laverne Cox is a symbol of what you can achieve if you are true to who you are. “
“She epitomizes not only the messages of the Inspiring Women and Sheroes Barbie doll lines but that of Barbie herself. But brings its message of being who and what you want to be into our ever changing world; from inspiring the limitless potential in every girl to inspiring the limitless potential in every person,” he continues.
— RuPaul blasted for comments about trans contestants on ‘Drag Race’ —
“The creator of Barbie, Ruth Handler once said, ‘My whole philosophy of Barbie was that, through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.’”
“Laverne Cox IS Barbie,” the petition concluded.
So far, the petition has 743 signatures and is well on its way to making its first 1,000.
Cox as responded to the petition online and wrote, “Ah that’s sweet. I would love to be a Barbie doll.”
Ah that's sweet. I would love to be a Barbie doll https://t.co/nAXX4w4gPL
— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) March 7, 2018
— #MeToo or #TooMuch? Petition to rescind Kobe Bryant’s Oscar nomination center around assault case —
It would be a first for Barbie, but certainly not for Cox. Cox became the first openly trans person to grace to cover Cosmopolitan in January and is known as the first and only openly trans actor to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
Subsequently, Mattel’s Barbie has been on a rather radical wave. They premiered their first hijab-wearing Barbie in November and are even set to release “Hidden Figure” dolls this month based upon the real-life NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson that Taraji P. Henson famed in the blockbuster hit.
