The first Muslim Barbie with hijab came and this is the woman who inspired her

Η Ibtihaj Muhammad is a woman who overcomes obstacles throughout her life and still writes history with her conquests. The swordsman champion became in 2016 the first American woman to wear a hijab while competing in the Rio Olympics, and returned to America with the bronze medal in fencing.

Muhammad's life and achievements were enough for Mattel, the Barbie manufacturer, to choose the young athlete as her main inspiration for the new look of her famous doll, who wore a hijab for the first time in her history. .

Speaking about the honor bestowed on her by Mattel, Muhammad wrote on her Twitter: "Thank you Mattel, for making me the youngest member of the Barbie Shero family! I'm proud that now, little girls around the world will be able to play with a Barbie who has chosen to wear hijab! "It's a childhood dream come true."

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 pic.twitter.com/py7nbtb2KD

- Ibtihaj Muhammad (@IbtihajMuhammad) November 13, 2017

The line "shiro"Barbie - by she (she) and the hero (hero) - honors women who break the barriers, while previous models have represented the athlete Gabby Douglaw and the director of" Selma ", Ava DuVernay.

Muhammad, who insisted that the doll should have "big, strong legs", also asked Mattel to add black eyeliner along with her hijab. "I think it's a revolutionary move for Barbie to take a stand at this time - and I would say that, as a country, (it's revolutionary) to have a doll wearing a hijab and be the first of its kind." said Muhammad in People.

Since the first appearance of Barbie by Mattel in 1959, the famous doll has been criticized many times for imposing unattainable beauty standards on young girls. But it seems that in recent years Mattel has begun to learn from her mistakes and recall the criteria that applied until recently for the appearance of Barbie.

"We are using this series to create a halo over our brand," she said. Lisa McKnight, senior vice president of strategy behind the creation of Barbie dolls at Mattel, in the New Yorker, while he added that he already knows which women he wants to be an inspiration for future Barbie models. "The ideal triplet - someone like Ibtihaj Muhammad, who has broken boundaries and inspires girls, and who as a girl also played with Barbie."