Barbie’s Newest Campaign Celebrates the Next Generation of Female Leaders

And yes, Shonda Rhimes has made the cut.

By Karly Wood March 2, 2022

Happy National Women’s History Month! This March, there is much to be celebrated and Mattel is kicking it off with a special partnership involving role models and entrepreneurs to help share that girls can do anything and build confidence as they pursue their dreams.

Lisa McKnight, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls, Mattel shares “This International Women’s Day, we’re proud to honor 12 global trailblazing women to help empower the next generation of female leaders by sharing their stories.”

The collaboration took Mattel all over the world and the result is a she-wolf pack of industry leaders in STEM, wellness, education and tech. So who are these leading ladies?

Shonda Rhimes (United States): Founder of American Television Production Company Shondaland
Ari Horie (United States/Japan): Founder & CEO, Women’s Startup Lab and Women’s Startup Lab Impact Foundation
Pat McGrath (United Kingdom): Makeup Artist and Founder of Pat McGrath Labs
Melissa Sariffodeen (Canada): CEO and Co-Founder of Canada Learning Code and Ladies Learning Code
Adriana Azuara (Mexico): Founder of All4Spas
Doani Emanuela Bertain (Brazil): Teacher and Founder of Sala 8
Jane Martino (Australia): Chair and Co-Founder of Smiling Mind
Lan Yu (China): Fashion Designer
Butet Manurung (Indonesia): Founder and Director of SOKOLA
Sonia Peronaci (Italy): Founder of Italian food website, ‘GialloZafferano’
Tijen Onaran (Germany): CEO and Founder of Global Digital Women and Co-Founder of ACI Diversity Consulting
Lena Mahfouf (France): Digital Creator, Videographer and Author of ‘Always More

Each of the women honored in the collection received their own one-of-a-kind dolls as a tribute to their contribution. That’s right: you won’t be able to get your own Shonda Rhimes or Pat McGrath dolls because while this collection is beyond amazing, it was to honor the fabulous females only.

But there is a silver lining: Barbie is releasing it’s first ever shopping platform: @BarbieStyle! The collection is packed with limited edition accessories that embrace Barbie’s style we’ve loved for decades.

You’ll be able to shop products like turtlenecks from Dudley Stephens, mules and a clutch from Larroude and candles from NETTE. For each item sold during March, Mattel will donate 5% of proceeds and match the donation to the Barbie Dream Gap Project.