'Mattel’s new blind Barbie will normalise people like me'

I, like so many children growing up, loved Barbie and accumulated a massive collection of dolls and sets when I was young.

I can still remember playing with my beloved Barbie aeroplane with its tiny ice dispenser and mini cans of fizzy drink that I’d always end up losing.

But growing up, now I think about it, whilst I loved all my dolls, their glamorous outfits and creating stories for them from secret missions to family dramas, I don’t think any one of them ever really felt like she could be… well… me.

Not simply because I was a redhead, but because I had a disability.

Growing up, I don’t think any one of my dolls ever really felt like she could be me. (Image: Emily Davison)

I’ve lived with limited vision all my life because of a congenital condition known as Septo Optic Dysplasia, which has impacted my vision since birth.

But growing up, like so many people my age with disabilities, you often didn’t find a lot of representation of disability, from the books we read to the films we watched and the toys we played with.

But society has come a long way since I last picked up a Barbie doll.

I’ve lived with limited vision all my life because of a congenital condition known as Septo Optic Dysplasia. (Image: Emily Davison)

Mattel revealed the news this week that it would be introducing a brand-new blind Barbie doll to its collection of disabled Barbies, alongside its existing collection which includes a wheelchair user Barbie and one with a hearing aid.

Mattel worked closely alongside sight loss charities including the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to ensure the doll was authentic and representative of the lived experience of sight loss.

Mattel worked with sight loss charities to ensure the doll was representative of the lived experience of sight loss. (Image: Mattel)

The new Barbie holds a long cane to help her feel her surroundings which she can move from side to side.

She also has textured clothing in a distinctive purple colour, to enable people with sight problems to see her more clearly, along with Velcro so that the clothes can be removed more easily.

She has textured clothing in a distinctive purple colour, to enable people with sight problems to see her more clearly, (Image: Mattel)

Aside from the representation the new blind Barbie offers, Mattel have also subverted the stereotype that people who can’t see can’t take an interest in clothes, cosmetics or self-care, which is of course not the case.

Mattel have subverted the stereotype that people who can’t see can’t take an interest in clothes, cosmetics or self-care, which is of course not the case. (Image: Mattel)

I wonder what my child self would have thought if she’d had a Barbie like her to play with.

Would she have felt more comfortable in her own skin? Would she have been more confident to use her cane? Would she have not felt the need to conceal her disability so much from her classmates?

My answer is probably, yes.

I think my child self would have felt more comfortable in her own skin and more confident if she'd had a blind Barbie to play with. (Image: Emily Davison)

I probably would have felt more comfortable using my cane and would have started using it earlier and had more independence.

I’d have felt empowered because I’d have felt seen.

If I'd had a Barbie like her to play with as a child, I’d have felt empowered because I’d have felt seen. (Image: Emily Davison)

I can’t put a finger on what it felt like not to have a Barbie that was like me as a disabled person, but I think if I tried, I’d say I felt invisible.

I can remember making up stories about the dolls and thinking of other people, I was always the author of the stories and not the main character.

I remember feeling that I wasn’t of interest and that was why there wasn’t a Barbie that was like me, so I found it hard to envisage what I’d be in the future.

Representation, for people from minority groups, is key for a number of reasons, but mostly because it validates that our lives, experiences and stories matter.

Representation for people from minority groups validates that our lives, experiences and stories matter. (Image: Emily Davison)

This new blind Barbie won’t just be about helping visually impaired children to feel more valid and comfortable using mobility aids, but I think it will also help to spark conversations about sight loss with other children.

Sometimes a book with a disabled character or a disabled doll is all you need to open a conversation between children and adults about our society and the different people in it.

They provide a safe space to ask questions without anyone’s feelings getting hurt or worrying about social awkwardness.

I think this new blind Barbie will help to spark conversations about sight loss with other children. (Image: Mattel)

Blind Barbie marks a pivotal moment in time for my community and for me it feels like we have a place at the table just as she has a place on the toy shelf.

In the strangest way, Mattel’s blind Barbie has made me feel seen.