On his 65th birthday, Barbie celebrates the trajectory and achievements of inspiring athletes with exclusive dolls. This time, the brand announces a global tribute to eight women who overcame barriers in sport, inspiring girls around the world to believe in their potential and pursue their passions, and who must do well in the coming months in a major global competition.
In Brazil, the Olympic gymnast Rebecca Andrade was chosen for the select group of the ‘Inspiring Women’ project (Role Models, in English), being presented with a unique doll made in her likeness. The Brazilian is an Olympic medalist, winner of gold and silver in the competition, two-time world champion, and has already won more than ten medals in World Cups.
In addition to Rebeca, the super squad of honorees are: tennis player Venus Williams (United States); footballers Christine Sinclair (Canada) and Mary Fowler (Australia); fellow gymnast Alexis Moreno (Mexico); paratriathlon athlete Susan Rodriguez (Spain); swimmer Federica Pellegrini (Italy) and sprinter Ewa Swoboda (Poland).
Rebecca Andrade
Gymnast | Brazil
Photo: Disclosure/Mattel
Venus Williams
Tennis player | USA
Photo: Disclosure/Mattel
Christine Sinclair
Footballer | Canada
Photo: Disclosure/Mattel
Mary Fowler
Footballer | Australia
Photo: Reproduction / Instagram
Susan Rodriguez
Paratriathlon athlete | Spain
Photo: Disclosure/Mattel
Federica Pellegrini
Swimmer | Italy
Photo: Disclosure/Mattel
Ewa Swoboda
Sprinter | Poland
Photo: Reproduction/ Instagram
The ‘Role Models’ initiative is part of the ‘Barbie Brecha do Sonho’ (Dream Gap in English), launched in 2018. The proposal arose from research carried out by the brand in partnership with New York University, which discovered that, since At the age of five, many girls begin to develop self-limiting beliefs and think they are not as intelligent and capable as boys. Therefore, the brand is committed to generating initiatives to eliminate this barrier, dreaming big with girls, challenging stereotypes and helping to undo prejudices that prevent them from reaching their full potential.
For Rebeca, the honor was a surprise.
“Barbie is such a big and strong name and, today, I can say that I have also become such a big and strong name. It really is an honor to make people continue to believe and dream big to achieve their goals, knowing that it is possible. There is no one who can say: ‘No, you didn’t do it!’, ‘You didn’t fight’, ‘You didn’t believe it’, none of that! Everyone who follows me saw everything I did. So that’s what Barbie, and this tribute, represents to me: A leap of faith, dream, achievements, everything”, he concludes.
The project has already celebrated the incredible achievements of other inspiring Brazilian women, such as surfer Maya Gabeira, Dr. Jaqueline Goes, professor Doani Emanuela Bertan, content creator Maira Gomez (the first doll inspired by an indigenous Brazilian), and singer IZA .
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