Does the World Really Need Autistic Barbie?
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
By Susan Senator / Boston
Autistic Barbie? At first, I thought it was a joke. After all, on Facebook, I had recently come across a fake, an AI rendition of Menopausal Barbie, which had been hacked together by my new friend Elizabeth Bennett of West Sussex, England. Menopausal Barbie came complete with doughy belly, estrogen pills and wine—and seven fingers. “I adored Barbie as a kid, Still got them!” Bennett wrote back to me.
But Autistic Barbie is a real thing. Mattel, Inc. had already provided us with decades of specialized Barbies, from the 1960’s Julia, a Black Barbie careerwoman (dressed as a nurse), to Doctor Barbie, Pregnant Barbie, and Teacher Barbie. Now, in the age of inclusion and identity politics, Autistic Barbie is the latest in the Barbie “Fashionista” line, comprised of Barbies with every kind of challenge imaginable: Down Syndrome Barbie, Type I Diabetes Barbie, Prosthetic Leg Barbie.
Barbie has certainly come a long way since 1959, when she was born a fully formed woman doll, the brainchild (brainwoman?) of Ruth Handler, a co-founder of toy giant Mattel, Inc. Handler apparently wanted a different kind of doll for her daughter Barbara than the usual baby doll, a toy that could help little girls imagine and fantasize about what it would be like to be grown up.
But what sort of grown-up was Barbie? The doll has been long reviled by some who feared her message was that the good life had nothing to do with who you were inside or how good a person you were; rather, the important thing was to look a certain way in order to have the life of your dreams. And not many of us could actually look that way—that tiny waist, the voluptuous bosom, the bright blue eyes and long legs? Might as well have seven fingers.
With all the pushback, Mattel wised up and began creating different sorts of Barbies, so that they could now sell the idea that not everyone was white and ball-gown bound, and that was okay. We could be studious, have a disability and still wear fabulous clothes, drive hot pink sports cars and go on dates with Ken, the male-ish version of Barbie. People used to laugh at Ken because of his smooth, penis-free crotch. Back when Ken came on the scene in the 1960s, no one even said “penis,” let alone had a doll with one. But now we try to avoid body-shaming—and that should include Ken.
Mattel was truly thinking outside the pink plastic box when they came up with the Fashionista dolls in 2009. They consulted with major advocacy organizations to garner just the right features and accessories to make them identifiable to children with differences. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, ASAN, advised Mattel on Autistic Barbie, suggesting she have accessories like an assistive communication device, a fidget toy to calm restless fingers, and headphones so that Barbie could block out disturbing sounds, and even flexible wrists and elbows so that she could “stim”—the term for the hand-flapping behavior common to autistic people.
I have to confess that I was annoyed when I first saw Autistic Barbie. My oldest son Nat is profoundly autistic, meaning that he has significant cognitive challenges, difficult behaviors, and requires support and oversight 24/7. When I saw the headphones and the fidget toy I grumbled, “Nat is nothing like that.” But that is a very old feeling, resentment of a world that was clueless about someone like Nat; as usual people who are profoundly autistic like Nat have once again been sidelined in favor of the more public face of autism, the “high-functioning” charming and quirky people you see in shows like The Good Doctor and Extraordinary Attorney Woo. My sweet Nat would have simply chewed on Autistic Barbie’s feet before discarding her and playing with the box she came in.
But I took a closer look. And I realized, as always, there are more commonalities between autistics like Nat and the autistic characters like the Extraordinary Attorney Woo than differences. I reminded myself that the term “high functioning” is not actually valid or helpful, because even though it implies an ability to work, talk to people, and outwardly function independently, this more “normal” appearing autism can still come with very difficult behaviors, language challenges, and deep mental health issues. Furthermore, anyone on the spectrum may benefit from assistive technology communication support, including people with profound autism. Perhaps Mattel is onto something important here.
Autistic Barbie wears headphones, and needs support with communicating, as do most of Nat’s profoundly autistic peers. Autistic Barbie, presumably sensory-challenged with highly sensitive skin, wears plain, no-nonsense clothes and eschews the iconic high stiletto heels of her predecessors for comfy flats. And just like Autistic Barbie would do, many autistic people I know cannot tolerate labels on their clothing or certain material against their skin. Nat rips the labels off all of his clothes the moment he gets them—most of his shirts have holes in the back from his sensory-defensive zeal. And of course, Autistic Barbie’s flexible stim-possible arms are pure genius and universal to the spectrum.
Someone like Nat might not play with Autistic Barbie. But others will. And as long as there are some children who light up when they recognize themselves in the doll, it's a win. I asked my 88-year-old father, a long-time educator, what he thinks of it and he pointed out that playing with Autistic Barbie could even teach non-autistic kids empathy. If nothing else, she helps put autism on the map, and she makes the atypical familiar. Autistic Barbie will certainly help some children feel seen and validated. And that is a lot of good for just 12 bucks.
Now, Mattel: How about that Menopausal Barbie?
Susan Senator is an author, blogger and journalist living in the Boston area with her husband Ned Batchelder. They have three sons, the oldest of whom is 36 and has profound autism. Ms. Senator is the author of Making Peace With Autism as well as The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide and Autism Adulthood: Insights and Creative Strategies for a Fulfilling Life. A journalist since 1997, she has a column in Psychology Today, and she has published many pieces on parenting, autism, and living happily, in journals like the New York Times, Time magazine, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and NPR. Senator has appeared as a guest on “The Today Show,” MSNBC, ABC News, PBS, NPR and CNN. She has been a Barbie fan her entire life.
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