INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Barbie dolls with no hair are hitting store shelves in a bid to up the diversity of the range and help comfort girls who are going through
hair loss.Another version of the iconic toy made to look as though it has the skin condition vitiligo, which causes pale white patches to
develop on the skin, is also being launched this week.Mattel said the new dolls would ensure that Barbie represents "global diversity and
inclusivity".Image:Barbie dolls with no hair are hitting store shelvesThe hairless variant, a prototype of which became the brand's most
liked Instagram post ever last year, has been designed to be "reflective of trends seen from catwalk to the sidewalk"."If a girl is
experiencing hair loss for any reason, she can see herself reflected in the line," Mattel added.Both additions will further diversify a
range that has seen Mattel criticised over the years for making the dolls overly sexualised and too thin.But in 2016, a Fashionistas line of
Barbies was introduced that included more body types, skin tones and hairstyles, while the following year saw the launch of the first
hijab-wearing Barbie.Image:One new doll has been made to look like it has vitiligoThere has also been a wheelchair-using Barbie, one with a
hearing impairment to encourage children to learn about sign language, and another with a prosthetic limb.Mattel says the two bestselling
Barbie Fashionista dolls in the UK in 2019 were ones with wheelchairs, while a "curvy black doll with afro hair" took the global number one
