Chloe Kim is among the select few included in Barbie’s batch of new dolls based on real-life figures as part of its “Inspiring Women” lineup.
Mattel introduced the 17 new dolls honoring historic and modern-day role models on Tuesday, just days ahead of March 8, the International Women’s Day, NBC reports.
Kim, who recently took home the gold in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe final at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, is one of three Olympians honored in the collection, including Great Britain’s flyweight boxing champion, Nicola Adams, and China’s volleyball champion team captain, Hui Ruoqi.
The 17-year-old Olympic star expressed her appreciation for the recognition via a post on Twitter:
“Ahh! I’m so happy to be honored as a @Barbie Shero alongside these incredible women! #InternationalWomensDay #Barbie.”
“Barbie’s message — to show girls that they can be anything — is something I can get behind,” Kim was also quoted as saying in a media statement. “I’m so honored to be considered a role model and want girls to know that they can be athletic and girly at the same time!”
Also honored with their own Barbie dolls were Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, artist Frida Kahlo, aviator Amelia Earhart, Australian conservationist Bindi Irwin, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, and Chinese ballet dancer Yuan Yuan Tan.
According to CNN, Mattel came up with the line-up after conducting a survey of 8,000 mothers worldwide and found that 86% were worried about the kind of role models their daughters are exposed to.
“Girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real-life role models to remind them that they can be anything,” wrote Barbie’s Senior Vice President and General Manager Lisa McKnight in a news release.
Feature Image via Instagram/chloekimsnow and Twitter/chloekimsnow
