HIDDEN FIGURES BARBIE DOLLS

Hidden Figures Barbie Dolls don't exist yet.
But they should.

An instagram account called "A DOLL'S WORLD AFTER ALL" re-creates pop culture moments with dolls that are barbie sized, from what I can tell. And the image below was created by this instagram account.  

The thing is, I'm thinking why don't we ask instead of wish. Why don't we ask Mattel to make these as part of their Barbie collection.

Can you imagine giving your daughter or your niece a doll based on a woman that's a math genius? Can you imagine having tiny little girls that are 5 or 6 years old thinking that want to be a computer genius, engineer, or rocket scientist when they grow up--before they even know what a computer genius, engineer, or rocket scientist really is? 

Whichever little girl you're thinking of right now? She's going to be needed in a STEM job 20 years from now, especially if she's black. 

According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), African American women and girls comprise a little more than 6% (N=19,730,247) of the total U.S. population, 14% (N=861,642) of female students enrolled at four-year institutions, and 10.4% (N=19,160) of female graduate enrollment in STEM fields....

While the 10.7% figure for Bachelor’s degree and 13% for Master’s is encouraging, the percentages obscure some fields (such as mathematics), where African American female degree attainment is 800% less than degree-attainment levels for white females!   Similarly, graduate school (and the subsequent advanced degree) is critical in preparing scientists to engage in high-level research and development, but also in forming professional networks.  These networks may not only help to open doors for careers in industry (such as those in Silicon Valley), but for opening doors to careers across all sectors. 

http://www.scientistafoundation.com/scientista-spotlights/why-so-few-african-american-women-in-stem-part-ii-by-the-numbers

I just donated money to an outfit that encourages black teens to go to college for engineering. Apparently the numbers for black people in these fields are way down.

Despite having repeatedly read that a larger percentage of black women earn degrees than white women and black men, both sometimes, there are a lot more white women and black men in STEM jobs than black women. 

So we have to do something. That first thing we should probably do is inspire out little girls.

You have to dream it 

in order to achieve it, 

no matter what IT actually is.

And playing with dolls 

has always been

a large part of a girl's dream cycle.

Why not start her dreaming 

of being a genius that changes the world?

DebLynn

First step? Ask Mattel to make Hidden Figures Barbies. Since we're dreaming and inspiring dreams we should have the dolls look like the movie characters That means that Octavia Spencer doll is gonna have to a bit more curvy

I couldn't figure out who to write at Mattel. So I just wrote the people who handle the press. If you're feeling energetic and optimistic, why not write to Mattel yourself at  press@mattel.com.

The more people that lean on them to make the dolls the better. The more people that lean on them the more convinced Mattel will be that there's a market for these dolls.

Or is there a black barbie-type doll maker that you think can do it better? 


Dream it
Work at it
Achieve it

Write Mattel or call them.

Happy New Year!

HIDDEN FIGURES is due to come out to theaters in wide release on January 6th. Sometimes a movie is cheap and easy history. Go see it! Then try a find a book on the three black women that won the space race for The United States