Barbie Presents Its Very First Chelsea Doll With Scoliosis

In Barbie and Mattel’s ongoing mission to be inclusive, the brand is now reaching out to young children with scoliosis and creating a Chelsea doll to normalize and embrace back braces.
 
Scoliosis is an abnormal spine curvature that sometimes manifests in one shoulder or hip being more prominent than the other, an extended rib cage, or legs of different lengths. According to The Independent, every three out of 1,000 kids in the UK require treatment for scoliosis. This could include an external brace (like the one Chelsea is wearing) which can aid the spine as the child grows.

The six-inch doll is styled in a pink floral dress with a removable green back brace over her top. She has wavy brown hair and white sneakers to round off the look.
 
Most importantly, Chelsea sports a curved spine representing all the kids out there who are going through the same thing.
 
When designing the toy, Mattel worked with a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in children’s spinal disorders, Dr Luke Macyszyn.

With toys like the inclusive Chelsea entering the mainstream, one can only hope they will teach children the importance of treating others equally and maybe even spark conversations about diversity in adults.

Chelsea is being sold for US$7.99 and can be found online on the Walmart website.

 
 
[via Sky News and The Independent, images via Mattel]