Barbie has stepped onto the campaign trail and will officially announce her bid for President on Thursday.
The “I Can Be…President” Barbie doll by manufacturer Mattel and in partnership with The White House Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit that aims to involve more women in politics, will be in mass distribution. Presale begins tomorrow, but Mattel expects it to hit shelves everywhere in August in four different races: Caucasian, Hispanic, African-American and Asian.
As the only female candidate in the election, Presidential Barbie will literally stand on her own. The undisputed leader of the “B Party” wears pearls and a pink power suit with patriotic red, white and blue accents.
Barbie has had more than 130 careers over the past 54 years, including an astronaut in 1965 and going on to jobs like surgeon, business executive and computer engineer. This will be her fifth presidential bid, having previously run in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2008.
According to Mattel, 90% of girls ages 3 to 10 own at least one Barbie, and the average girl owns 12 dolls, making her the top-selling doll in the U.S.
The U.S. ranks 90th in the world in terms of women’s representation in legislature, with just 16.8% in Congress, only 12% of governors and major city mayors, and no female head of state on record. Another major obstacle for women’s representation in politics is their lower candidacy rates. Women win races at comparable rates to men, but they don’t run as often. “
Girls will be invited to help shape Presidential Barbie’s platform and message via Tumblr and Instagram pages that launch on Thursday.
Read more: Forbes
