Author, poet, activist, and artist Cleo Wade is making headlines after announcing a partnership with Barbie.
What We Know:
- Barbie is a series of fashion dolls that were first manufactured by Mattel, Inc. in March 1959. In recent years, the brand of Barbie has been subject to many changes including what the dolls represent. This was made evident in a viral video by Barbie that was released last year. The video portrays Barbie and another doll of color discussing white-privilege and the Black Lives Matter movement. The decision to become more socially aware to the public, paired along with Cleo Wade’s vision for empowerment, makes the collaboration between Barbie and the poet organic.
- The purpose behind the Barbie x Wade campaign is to illuminate “the power, brilliance, and determination” of black women and young girls, according to an article by Yahoo! News. Wade herself welcomed a newborn baby girl, Memphis, on January 20, 2020, so her motivations and drive for this project appear to be more than genuine.
- The exclusive dolls will represent and celebrate black women’s style throughout the decades. Complete with various accessories, the dolls will also portray political stances in the context of their era. These range from modern Black Lives Matter girls, to a vintage civil rights group holding a sign that reads, “We Fight Love. We Win With Love.”
- Wade hopes that the Barbie collection will plant a special seed of confidence in young girls that currently don’t have many outlets to be themselves in a pandemic. The American poet admits that even she has constant anxiety stemming from the pandemic, so one can only imagine the toll it has taken on young girls. Wade appears to be doing everything in her power to inspire them and make them realize they are not alone.
- The partnership remains on-brand with Barbie’s attempts in recent years to be more inclusive. 2 years ago, Barbie released the first black doll in a wheelchair.
Wade is currently being hailed as a “millennial Oprah” as her popularity continues to grow and give voices to those that would normally be muted. As of now, the Wade x Barbie campaign is reportedly not for sale.
