Mom tries to get Black Barbie dolls for daughter at Walmart. Then she takes a closer look at each of the dolls: ‘Ain’t nobody well over here’
A mother went inside Walmart to get her daughter a Black Barbie doll. Then, she realized the store did not have any without disabilities.
In a video with 1.8 million viewers, @praylivingthislife explained why she left her local Walmart without a Black Barbie doll for her daughter. According to her, the store only offered blind and diabetic Black Barbies at the time she visited.
“Now, why they do this? I’m trying to find my baby, you know, some dolls with some color, and I was going to get her, and this is nice, but she’s diabetic and her sugar a little bit high,” she told her audience. She then picked up another Black Barbie and noticed she was blind.
Why does Walmart not have any Black Barbies?
Walmart, a large corporate retailer, may have an issue ensuring it also has a diverse range of Barbies available whenever someone walks in-store. Out of the 35 skin tones, 97 hairstyles and nine different body types that Mattel has, the store offers countless selections online. But that doesn’t guarantee variety when shopping in person.
It’s possible that Walmart sold out of select Black Barbie dolls like the Brunette Fashion Doll. Based on their Barbie listings online, Walmart does generally have both able and disabled Barbies on any given day. But, with Christmas right around the corner, @praylivingthislife may have come on a day with limited selection.
It’s also possible that Walmart generally keeps more white Barbies in stock. For decades, white Barbies have been treated like the “standard” product. In 2020, around 68 percent of Mattel’s Barbie dolls were white. They’re often the first Barbies to appear whenever you search for them online, so stores still treat them like the “standard” doll.
Diversity is also oftentimes bundled rather than expanded, or placed in “sublines” rather than their products hitting shelves everywhere. A disabled Barbie might be a “fashionista,” but she won’t end up being part of Mattel’s main line products that end up in every store.
Did she have a problem with the other dolls?
Some commenters slightly misconstrued @praylivingthislife’s messaging in her post, with some expressing how positive disabled representation in stores can be.
One commenter wrote, “My daughter got the blind Barbie for her birthday from a friend whose daughter is blind and asked Santa for the diabetic Barbie because she has an insulin pump like Mommy. She loves having Barbies that represent loved ones in her life,” with a shrugging emoji.
Others mentioned that those Barbies might actually be rare finds. “I collect the disabled Barbies and those two are the ones I’ve been trying to find forever. You’re so lucky. But I do agree, there needs to be more diversity beyond the Barbies that are considered able-bodied.”
@praylivingthislife ♬ original sound – mom lifestyle
@prayingthislife clarified, however, that she wasn’t upset about the fact that some Barbies had a disability. She was upset because she couldn’t find a Barbie that was like her daughter when she went to Walmart.
In her video, she said, “There’s nothing wrong with showing diversity, but this one blind and they just don’t have any, well Black baby dolls over here in the Walmart on Memorial Drive. All the black baby dolls got a little illness going on. Ain’t nobody well over here if you’re black.”
As one commenter stated, “There should be some black dolls that don’t have any illnesses. There ALSO should be black dolls that do.”
While it is most likely a stocking issue rather than a product issue, it does seem as though Walmart and Mattel could make more of a conscientious effort to ensure all types of Barbies are featured on shelves.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Walmart, Mattel and @praylivingthislife for comment.
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