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11 Empowering Dolls That Help Little Girls See The Beauty In Themselves

These dolls were breaking major barriers before Barbie's recent makeover.
Taryn Finley

Black Voices Editor, HuffPost

Mattel took a huge step in the right direction on Thursday when it announced that Barbie would get a makeover. Now, the doll will come in three new body types -- tall, petite and curvy -- to be more reflective of the bodies of actual women.

For decades, the traditional Barbie has sparked debate about how her features aren't inclusive of all kinds of women and girls. Now there are many diverse lines of dolls for young girls to relate to and be empowered by that are readily available to buy.

These dolls reflect women and girls of various cultures, occupations, body types and lifestyles -- each absolutely necessary. Here are 11 doll lines that celebrate the different types of women around the world.

Malaville dolls
Instagram
These dolls were created by international model Mala Bryan to showcase the different shades and curl patterns of black girls. They also sport some vibrant African- and Caribbean-inspired outfits.
Madame Alexander Dolls

A photo posted by @alexanderdollco on

Madame Alexander dolls come in an array of sizes and shapes with dolls that cater to girls from all over the world. They even have a travel line with dolls representing girls from India, Kenya, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Mexico, China and Ireland.
Healthy Roots Dolls
Yetlisha Jean-Charles
Last year, college student Yetlisha Jean-Charles launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to create a new line of natural hair dolls to teach young black girls how to maintain and style their hair. In the future, she plans on creating dolls of other racial backgrounds down the line.
Positively Perfect Dolls
Dr. Lisa Williams created "Positively Perfect Dolls" to celebrate the diversity in multicultural children.
"Normal Barbie"
Nickolay Lamm
Nickolay Lamm crowdfunded a campaign for a doll based on the average, realistic measurements of a 19-year-old woman to combat the negative body image Barbie's proportions project on young girls.
Children of America Dolls
Children of America Dolls reflects the diversity among American kids. Each doll's facial features uniquely reflects her own ethnicity and individuality.
Hearts 4 Hearts Dolls
Amazon
Each of these inspirational dolls has her own story to tell, and is intended to be a reflection of different girls from around the world. For each doll that's sold, the company also donates a dollar to support young girls in the doll's corresponding region.
Project MC2

A photo posted by Project Mc² (@projectmc2) on

Project Mc2 dolls encourage girls to explore STEM-related subjects, and it also has an accompanying Netflix series which emphasizes that STEM isn't just for boys.
Lakeshore Learning Adaptive Equipment for dolls
Lakeshore Learning
Lakeshore Learning wants to dispel stereotypes about people with special needs by allowing kids to equip their dolls with canes, unbreakable hearing aids, wheelchairs and more.
Yuna Doll
The Yuna doll and her Dream Big Friends don't wear makeup, rock the latest high fashion clothes or have a tiny waist. Instead, this doll focuses on "dreaming big, doing what you love, and aspiring to be happy."
Lottie Dolls

A photo posted by Lottie Dolls (@lottie_dolls) on

Lottie Dolls encourage kids to embraces their individuality and "embark on meaningful adventures. This line also supports girls in STEM and carries a boy doll who's Lottie's "best friend and equal."

Also on HuffPost:

Dolls Without Makeup By Nickolay Lamm

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Taryn Finley - Black Voices Editor, HuffPost

Black Voices Editor, HuffPost

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