Laverne Cox has been making history for a long time, and now she will be the latest person to get their own Barbie doll.
According to Mattel Creations in news released yesterday:
As a four-time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy-winning producer, and the first transgender woman of color to have a leading role on a scripted TV show, Laverne Cox uses her voice to amplify the message of moving beyond societal expectations to live more authentically. She wears a triple-threat original design, featuring a deep red tulle gown gracefully draped over a dazzling, silver metallic bodysuit. Her hair is swept into glamorous Hollywood waves while dramatic makeup completes her look.
The actress shared her feelings about this symbolic honor, saying in a statement (according to NBC), “It’s been a dream for years to work with Barbie to create my own doll. I can’t wait for fans to find my doll on shelves and have the opportunity to add a Barbie doll modeled after a transgender person to their collection. I hope that people can look at this Barbie and dream big like I have in my career. The space of dreaming and manifesting is such a powerful source and leads you to achieve more than what you originally thought was possible.”
For some, it might be seen as a silly thing, but for many, Barbie is the ultimate symbol of femininity, and to have a trans woman be part of that legacy is a validating thing. “I was telling my therapist how I was really shamed by my mother when I was a kid when I wanted to play with a Barbie doll but I was denied. And I had a lot of shame and trauma about that,” Cox said. “And my therapist said to me, ‘It is never too late to have a happy childhood.’ She said, ‘Go out and buy yourself a Barbie and play with her. There’s a little kid that lives inside of you. Give her space to play.’ And I did.”
I think this is a beautiful sentiment, and in honor of Cox’s Barbie doll, Mattel will make a donation in her name to the nonprofit TransFamilySOS. It is a beautiful reminder to communities out there that this can happen. If I had any notes, I would say the doll looks a bit fairer than Cox is in real life, but I’ll do a deeper look after I go out and buy one. After all, my inner child will never get sick of seeing Black women on dolls.
(via NBC News, image: Greg Doherty/Getty Images, Mattel)
