Barbie faces backlash over racial representation in Olympics collection

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By VT

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Barbie has sparked backlash over its supposed lack of Asian representation in its new Olympics collection.

Last month, Mattel unveiled its new line of Barbie dolls in honor of the Tokyo Games. Each doll represents the five new sporting events that have been added to the program this year, per CNN.

The new dolls, who have different skin tones and hair colors, represent baseball, sport climbing, karate, skateboarding, and surfing.

Mattel Chief Franchise Officer Janet Hsu wrote in a statement about the new line: "Tokyo 2020 is a monumental event that brings the world together through sport and inspires fans of all ages.

"The Mattel Tokyo 2020 Collection honors these sports and inspires a new generation through the Olympic spirit and outstanding athletic tradition."

However, while the dolls may appear diverse, with at least one Black barbie and another Barbie of color, many have slammed the company for not being inclusive enough.

According to the critics, none of the dolls resembles an Asian female - and this is despite the fact that this year's Olympics took place in Asia and that China took home the second-highest number of gold medals after the US.

One person tweeted: "Really @Barbie? Olympics taking place in ASIA. So many AAPI athletes making the headlines in these games. Yet you have no room to create an Asian barbie. But there's always room for two blondes, right?"

Another wrote: "Major failure! Where is the doll that looks Asian? Especially Olympic 2020 [sic] is taking place in Japan which is an Asian country. @Mattel this is a disaster, whether it’s accidental or intentional."

A third said: "The absence of an Asian Barbie is notable despite Mattel’s desire to empower and support diversity and inclusion. This while featuring a (Japanese) karate uniform too!

"What a missed opportunity to access a large and growing consumer market and to fully reflect Mattel’s values."

A final person commented: "According to Mattel you can [be] anything, but ASIAN if you want to be included. The Olympics is literally happening in Asia.

"An Asian countries has the most gold medals. An Asian-American won gold in one of the biggest and most poplar event. Talk about tone deaf. Do much better! [sic]"

Featured image credit: Lazyllama / Alamy