all images courtesy of Mattel

Welcome to alternative fashions of iconic Barbie! American toy company Mattel has released 23 new looks of Barbie doll for 2016, which present different body types, skin and hair colors. Barbies were always a controversial figure for women, girls and for architects. The perfectness, fashionable-view and idealized body of Barbies have been criticized by women and the public. Now, it's time to redesign the iconic Barbie for multicultural girls and their mothers- this new redesign certainly shows that the women can be an over-sized, have different color, tone, different body type and wear everything and still look fashionable. 

Barbie with original, curvy, petite, tall body types

In 2011, The American Institute of Architects National Convention had launched 'Architect Barbie' titled ''Barbie I Can Be… Architect Doll'', which immediately gained a response by architects and architecture critics. When Alexandra Lange, is architecture critic and columnist at Curbed, criticised the new outer-look of architect Barbie published in Dwell and she was utterly right! According to Lange, architects were not only wearing court shoe, skirt, an outdated hot-pink blueprint tube, black-rimmed glasses and so forth- new figure of 'architect barbie' was distracting the profession in architecture.

Their hairstyles are right on trend, from short bangs to an asymmetrical cut, curls to blow outs and a variety of colors, including shades of brunette and blonde, beautiful black, rich red and modern purple.

Barbie, 'curvy'

Now, many manufacturers are seeking different ways of promoting of toys, like Barbie, and Mattel releases alternative models of Barbie to relate to multicultural girls and women. The new lines of Barbie in 2016 will be: original, tall, petite, and curvy in four body types. Mattel says that the new range of dolls “represent[s] the world girls see around them” and is part of its “continued evolution of the Barbie brand”. “The range includes 23 dolls that feature 14 different facial sculpts, eight skin tones, 18 eye colours, and 23 hair colours with fashions reflecting authentic street style'' added Mattel. "This will be an important cultural milestone for the brand," said Richard Dickson, Mattel's president and chief operating officer. 

Barbie, 'petite'

Barbie, 'curvy' 

Barbie, 'curvy'

Barbie, 'tall'

Barbie, 'tall'

Barbie, 'curvy'

Barbie, 'curvy' with her fashionable clothes

> via Mattel