Ashley Graham has her own Barbie and she made sure its thighs touch
It’s safe to say that many little girls (and boys!) who play with Barbies dream of having a doll that looks just like them. Heck, many grown ups still dream of having a Barbie that looks like them. Model and Glamour‘s Woman of the Year, Ashley Graham, is living that Barbie dream. Graham, who was the first size 16 model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, had one requirement for her mini-me. “She had to have her thighs touch. No ands, ifs or buts about it,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. Rock on.
"The thighs touching was one way to show young girls that it's OK for your thighs to touch, despite society saying that a 'thigh gap' is more beautiful," Graham stated. We're shouting "Amen" as loud as we can.
Graham said she wanted her Barbie to look exactly like her, even asking Mattel to add cellulite, “but obviously plastic and cellulite don’t go hand in hand,” Graham told Hollywood Reporter.
The model grew up playing with her aunt’s vintage Barbies with their itty-bitty waists and unrealistically long legs. She said that if she had played with dolls that looked more like her, her body confidence would have been more present at a younger age.
"I think it's absolutely incredible that an iconic image in the fashion world, like Barbie, is keeping up with the times and following along with body diversity in such a big way," Graham said.
Barbie is really making strides to modernize its merchandise. Alongside Graham’s Barbie, Mattel has also released a Fashionista Barbie line with “Curvy” and “Tall” dolls, offered in several ethnicities. There are also the Barbie “President” and “Vice President” dolls, educating girls that they can do anything they set their minds to.
Graham told the Hollywood Reporter, “now every girl does look like Barbie. It’s not an unattainable thing.” Now, they can say, “That’s my Barbie. I look like that one.” And because of that, girls are now realizing from a young age that every body is beautiful.
