Icon Laverne Cox was honoured by Mattel this week by becoming the first trans woman to have an official Barbie designed after her.
The Cox Barbie is currently one of the best-selling dolls on Amazon already and is part of Barbie’s Tribute Collection which has already honoured Lucille Ball and Queen Elizabeth II.
Emmy Award winning Cox said of the doll: “I went out and bought a Barbie doll and played with her and dressed her and it was a way for me to heal my inner child.”
Laverne worked closely with Mattel on the new doll, who wears a red tulle ballgown that can be refashioned into different outfits.
The announcement comes as trans youth face a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being enacted across various states in the US.
“Barbie knows that representation matters and is committed to continuing to increase diversity across collections, so that more people can see themselves reflected.” Mattel, the company behind creating the dolls, said in a statement.
She said: “It’s incredibly meaningful for me to have my Barbie doll for so many reasons. I hope that kids of all gender identities can look at this Barbie and dream. The space of play, playing with dolls, the space of creating worlds with dolls is that space of dreaming. And now kids get to dream with a Laverne Cox Barbie, the first transgender Barbie – that is a beautiful space of dreaming and possibility.