The maker of Barbie says it will sell a doll modelled after Ibtihaj Muhammad, an American fencer who competed in last year’s Olympics while wearing a hijab.
Ibtihaj Muhammad posted on Twitter she was “proud” young people would be able to play with “a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab!”
“Thank you @Mattel for announcing me as the newest member of the @Barbie #Shero family! I’m proud to know that little girls everywhere can now play with a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab! This is a childhood dream come true 😭💘 #shero “she tweeted
Mattel, the company that manufactures the famous range of dolls, says the hijab-wearing Barbie will be available online next spring in Australia.
The doll is part of the Barbie “Shero” line that honours women who break boundaries.
Past dolls have included gymnast Gabby Douglas and Selma director Ava DuVernay.
Muhammad grew up in New Jersey, with African-American parents also born in the US, and who converted to Islam. She took up fencing at school, aged 13.
She is the first American to compete at the Olympics while wearing a hijab, she’s the first female Muslim to win a medal at the Olympics, having won bronze at Rio in 2016.
And now Muhammad is the model for the first hijab-wearing Barbie.
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