A pensive Barbie opens the clip with a message about why “it is necessary to have ongoing conversations about standing as much as racism,” however she rapidly turns her consideration to Nikki and simply listens.
Nikki tells Barbie about totally different situations when she was judged primarily based on the colour of her pores and skin.
“Barbie and I had a sticker-selling contest on the seashore final month. We break up up and went our separate instructions to see who might promote probably the most. Whereas I used to be on the boardwalk, seashore safety stopped me thrice,” Nikki shares. “The safety officer thought I used to be doing one thing dangerous, although I used to be doing precisely the identical factor that you just had been doing.”
On one other event, Nikki says she was underestimated by a instructor who assumed she solely aced a French honor membership admissions quiz as a result of she “obtained fortunate.”
When a involved Barbie asks her buddy why she did not keep within the French honor membership “to show him mistaken,” Nikki responds with an announcement on how experiencing bias may be exhausting.
“I do not need to always show and re-prove myself,” Nikki says. “He supported you proper from the start and did not assist me.”
“Often after I discuss these items, individuals make excuses…Individuals did these items to me as a result of I used to be Black they usually made the mistaken assumptions about me.”
Equally compelling to Nikki’s reflections are Barbie’s actions throughout the video. All through Nikki’s tales, Barbie is an attentive listener. And when she does converse, Barbie makes use of the chance to teach her viewers about how her buddy’s experiences are indicative of a broader downside.
Barbie isn’t any stranger to championing gender equality and racial justice
The Barbie YouTube vlog is one part of a bigger dedication by the Mattel firm to ladies’ empowerment.
The unique video content material permits Barbie to interact with its younger customers whereas nurturing interpersonal expertise and self-worth. In different Barbie vlogs, she has taught younger viewers about gaslighting, the tendency to over-apologize and psychological well being.
“Barbie is championing gender equality to assist shut the racial injustice barrier women face by the Dream Hole and that is a method the model is addressing it,” Mattel mentioned in an announcement to CNN.
“The objective of the episode is to assist women to know that there’s a big motion occurring within the combat towards racism, why persons are marching collectively and the significance of studying and studying extra about Black historical past,” Mattel mentioned.
Barbie’s push for impactful video content material can be apt for at present’s quarantine panorama. With many college students nonetheless attending college nearly and the dynamics of socialization altering, the Barbie YouTube channel and dolls supply an enticing option to stimulate social consciousness by play.
And, it appears to be working.
Doll play prompts mind areas that enable youngsters to develop empathy and social data, in response to the research.
With greater than 9.6 million subscribers, the official Barbie web page is at present probably the most watched channel directed at women on YouTube. With the continued success of their instructional content material, Mattel and Barbie® are cultivating a brand new technology on find out how to interact with social points with consideration and kindness.
“We hope that households watch this collectively and leverage the model to debate a extremely robust matter with a younger baby and hope it spurs many extra conversations on how women can assist each other, particularly main as much as Worldwide Day of the Lady this weekend,” the corporate mentioned.
