The first hijab-wearing Barbie is based on Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad and it’s awesome
The American fencer has been presented with her own version of the famous doll.
A hijab-wearing Barbie doll will be available from next year, toymaker Mattel has confirmed.
The firm will sell a doll modelled on Ibtihaj Muhammad, the American fencer who competed in last year’s Olympics while wearing a hijab.
The doll is part of the Barbie “Shero” line which honours women who break boundaries. Past dolls have included gymnast Gabby Douglas and Selma director Ava DuVernay.
Muhammad said on Twitter that she was “proud” that young people will be able to play with “a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab!”
Muhammad, the first American to compete at the Olympics while wearing a hijab, won a bronze medal in fencing at the 2016 Rio Games.
She said: “Through playing with Barbie, I was able to imagine and dream about who I could become.
“I love that my relationship with Barbie has come full circle, and now I have my own doll wearing a hijab that the next generation of girls can use to play out their own dreams.”
The doll was unveiled at the Glamour Women of the Year LIVE Summit.
“Ibtihaj is an inspiration to countless girls who never saw themselves represented, and by honouring her story we hope this doll reminds them that they can be and do anything.”
