Legendary Pilot Bessie Coleman Gets Her First Barbie In Tribute Of Her Legacy

Pilot Bessie Coleman has been immortalized as a Barbie Doll that honors her legacy and the skies she once graced.
 
The ‘Brave Bessie’ doll is part of Mattel’s ‘Inspiring Women’ collection which has paid tribute to other notable women in history, including Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Ella Fitzgerald, Ida B. Wells, and many more.

The new addition to the club depicts Coleman decked out in an olive green belted aviator suit and lace-up boots. On her head rests a brown hat with her initials, BC. In order to keep the doll as true to life as possible, Mattel worked with Coleman’s great niece Gigi Coleman, the president of The Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars.
 
Coleman’s doll represents her involvement in the aviation community and everything she has done to encourage other women and people of color to let their dreams take flight.

Coleman was born in Texas in 1892. After moving to Chicago, she became interested in flying. However, her gender and skin color prevented her from being accepted into piloting schools. But that didn’t stop her. She eventually moved to Paris, where she finally got her license in 1921, making her the first Black and Native American woman to do so. Shortly after, she took to the skies, where she was known for performing aerial stunts.
 
In a sad end to her story, she died in a plane crash after her plane, which her mechanic was operating, flipped; and Coleman, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, slipped out of the plane and fell to her death.

Still, her story lives on, and she will always be remembered for her fearlessness in the skies and in the face of adversity.

Her doll will be sold for US$35 and can be found on Mattel’s website. 
 

 
[via CNN and ABC News, images via Mattel Creations]