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Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

Vice President: Barbie and Body Image

vice president: Alison Halsall, assistant professor in York University's Department of Humanities, has organized a screening of 2018 documentary Tiny Shoulders Rethinking Barbie' ahead of a chat with toy company Mattel's vice president and head of Barbie design Kim Culmone, according to CTV. Barbie has had a changing relationship with childhood from its beginnings in the 60s all the way up to 2019, Halsall said. While the toy is blamed by many for negatively affecting girls' body image, the plastic figure is admired by some as a feminist role model reinvented with a variety of skin tones and body types. We have to ask ourselves about the image she presents, because it is one that used to be a little bit more homogeneous with roughly two ethnic types, whereas now we see a whole range of body types as well as ethnic types, hair colours and skin tones. This reinvented Barbie has an even greater global potential to reach and shape childhoods. Halsall said the event is important to understand the marketing, brand and creation of Barbie. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.