Mattel Announces New Hijab Wearing Barbie Modeled On Olympic Medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad

News, Top Story

Mattel Announces New Hijab Wearing Barbie Modeled On Olympic Medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad!

Mattel’s Barbie made the announcement.

Reports are all over the internet today with the first hijab wearing Barbie doll:

      Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, 31, became the first Muslim-American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the U.S. at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She won a bronze medal and decided to champion a new sport — combating xenophobia and Islamophobic injustices. She now stands as one of the most influential voices in sports.

      Muhammad, a New Jersey native, embraces her uniqueness and has become a symbol of inspiration and hope. And now, thanks to toymaker Mattel, her messages of self-love, inclusion and equality will be represented by the 2018 Barbie Shero doll. Succeeding Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, the doll was created in Muhammad’s likeness and is the first-ever Barbie to wear a hijab.

Interview with Ms. Muhammad is here.

Ibtihaj Muhammad responded to Mattel Barbie’s announcement.

John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!