Beyond simple profiteering, lol, I just liked the idea behind it. I like that they're recognising the contribution some professions have made this past year and a half. It wasn't easy for anyone, but it was much harder for some, and there are people to whom we owe an incalculable debt. (In all seriousness, I expect to see a lego Ideas minifig vignette proposal this year as well. They've done women of NASA and a general women in science set (fan idea vs. final product) before.)
You know, I googled all of them to make sure I had the right name for the right doll. (Every source article I found about the dolls had it wrong.) Dr Kirby I didn't find a picture of at all, but with only one left, it was easy by default. Interestingly, all the rest except for Nurse O'Sullivan actually look reasonably like their namesakes. The cynic in me assumes part of the selection process involved an attempt to find "cute", young and pretty people to begin with (Professor Gilbert being an obvious exception, but then her role pretty much dictated it, and I'd deem the doll fairly neutral in its depiction). But they've also included a couple of people in the line-up for their advocacy/ influencer work, and I find myself wondering over time how much attractiveness will end up playing a role in that. Attractiveness has been a determining factor in so many things from career advancement to sentencing in courts, with the role social media has begun to play in our lives globally, I can see that becoming increasingly important in the years
( ... )
Tbf, I do assume part of it is markets. Africa, and the Indian sub-continent were also ignored, but I doubt they have the sales there they do in the west. Asia also, inasmuch as the Asian Barbie doctor is an American as opposed to an actually Asian Asian woman (that looks wrong lol, but you know what I mean), but they did much better than I expected with their selection: 2x US, 1 Canada, 1 UK, 1 Brazil, and 1 Oz. I am not, however, in the least surprised that they didn't choose a Chinese national, say, in light of the very regrettable politicisation of the Pandemic. On the other hand including two women who are battling for more awareness of the racial issues involved is a good start. (These days I'm taking wins wherever they come.)
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