Barbie dolls of (L to R), Ellie Kildunne of England, Ilona Maher of the USA, Nassira Konde of France and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe of New Zealand. Photo: Supplied / Barbie, Mattel
New Zealand rugby legend Portia Woodman-Wickliffe will have a Barbie doll modelled on her.
Toy maker Mattel has announced that Barbie is celebrating International Day of the Girl by introducing Team Barbie - a coalition of four powerful role models and professional rugby players from across the globe to encourage girls to own their confidence proudly.
The four players are Black Ferns star Woodman-Wickliffe, Ilona Maher of the United States, Ellie Kildunne of England and Nassira Konde of France.
"At Barbie, we believe that girls can be, and do, anything," said Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie, Mattel.
Black Ferns player Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Barbie doll. Photo: petra rajnicova / Supplied / Barbie Mattel
Woodman-Wickliffe remembered her first Barbie.
"My first journey with Barbie began when I was about 7 years old. Mum bought me one from the local store, and I played with her every single day. I'd even borrow my brother's action men so they could all have parties together. At my friend's house, she had the full set, and I was in awe," Woodman-Wickliffe said in the statement.
"For me, Barbie was all about representation. She could be anything: a doctor, a superstar, a teacher. She embodied every dream and possibility.
In a statement, Mattel said it conducted a study across the US, UK, France, and New Zealand, the home countries of the Team Barbie rugby role models, to better understand what holds girls back, from both their perspective and their parents'.
The research found:
- One in three girls disengages from sports by age 14, primarily due to body confidence concerns, self-doubt, and a lack of visible female role models.
- Only 53 percent of girls ages 6-14 feel confident while playing sports. The leading reason for a lack of confidence is fear of making mistakes (34 percent).
Parents see the powerful role that role models and culture play:
- 26 percent believe that more female role models in sports would encourage their daughters to stay involved longer.
- 48 percent point to social attitudes that discourage girls from sports as a major barrier.
Parents also recognise the benefits of sport: teamwork, communication, and social skills ranked as the top developmental gains, while 33 percent said their daughters' involvement made them feel more confident.
Eighty-one percent of parents believe sports can help their daughters achieve their future goals.
Barbie, Mattel is making a donation to girls' sports organisations in the US, UK, New Zealand, and France to fund programming focused on unlocking girls' confidence.
International Day of the Girl Child is 11 October.
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