If only our Supreme Court were this colorful...
As it attempts to close the Dream Gap—the self-limiting beliefs many girls develop as early as 5 years old—the brand famously known as Barbie is taking a stand, now imagining its iconic doll as a judge—somewhere we rarely see ourselves, according to the American Constitution Society, and The Gavel Gap.
Per a release from parent brand Mattel:
Barbie is taking the stand as a judge to inspire girls to explore judicial careers with the hopes that one day they will sit on the bench and make important decisions that can change the world for the better. Interestingly, in the US, women make up only one-third of sitting state judges.*
The brand consulted with the National Association of Women Judges to ensure that Judge Barbie is as representative of sitting female judges as possible. Judge Barbie is dressed in a traditional black robe and comes with a gavel for girls to imagine themselves protecting the rights of others and delivering judgments.
With women’s rights once again on the table this year, we can’t think of a better time to reinforce the potential of girls of all cultural backgrounds to rise to the highest court in the land. Of course, this isn’t Barbie’s first promotion; as Mattel reminds us, “since 1959, Barbie has had over 200 careers—from Robotics Engineer to CEO...Barbie has run for office in six elections, and even ran on the first all-female President/Vice President ticket in 2016.”
We would’ve totally been here for an all-female ticket, but we’re equally onboard with Barbie reaching another branch of government as a judge. Just one question: When will our actual Supreme Court be this diverse?