Ever since I was little, I loved playing with Barbies. Like, I was obsessed. I had around twenty different Barbies, the Dream House and the red convertible, which was coveted by many.

However, as I got older, I began questioning my childhood love for the perky, blonde doll. I read articles about her unattainable body and conventional beauty standards and wondered if she was really the role model I and other young girls needed as a child. I never paid attention to her tiny waist or disproportionate-to-her-body boobs when I was little though; all I saw was a confident, "beautiful" woman who was able to succeed as a fashion model one day, and a doctor or veterinarian the next. I looked at my Barbies and saw potential for myself when I grew up one day.

Now that I am even older, I realize that Barbie could have very well represented potential success for young girls. Unfortunately, the only demographic that was ever represented by the dolls was tall, blonde and conventionally attractive. Therefore, though she may have embodied the different options that existed for me in my future, young girls of other races, ethnicities, or body types would probably have not found her as relatable.

This lack of representation would undoubtably be problematic for young girls who wanted to see themselves represented in their dolls as well. The good news is, just such a change is currently being made. Recently, Mattel announced that Barbies will soon be available in three body types: curvy, tall and petite. They will also be available in seven skin tones, twenty-two eye colors and twenty-four hairstyles, which will all add a wonderful new amount of variation and diversity to the overwhelmingly blonde/whitewashed norm that society has grown uncomfortably used to.

Although she may not quite be a feminist icon, these updates to the Barbie standard are very exciting. There has already been a fairly positive reaction from young girls to the new changes who obviously seem to appreciate that they could be represented by Barbie without being tall, thin and blonde. This is a big step forward for representation and I only hope that such changes will continue to be made.