Dina Asher Smith Barbie Doll

Barbie dolls in their line Barbie Role Models, a line dedicated to building female models in an effort to close the so-called “dream gap”, a moment in the lives of girls when, due to social pressure, they begin to doubt that they are capable to be what they set out to be.

A few days before the commemoration of International Women's Day, the American toy company Barbie launched a series of sports-inspired dolls that celebrate female role models.

The launch of the company is part of the Sheroes initiative, which pays tribute to outstanding women in different fields and the Dream Gap Project. Barbie's Dream Gap, explained by the company as a gap that exists between girls and their potential in fields that have traditionally been occupied by men, and the company seeks to share stories of women from different occupations to encourage I encourage the girls of the world to be whatever they want to be.

Tokyo 2020 and Barbie honored great athletes: the Turkish swimmer Sümeyye Boyacı, the French soccer player Amandine Henry, the Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan, the British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, the Portuguese surfer Teresa Bonvalot and the German jumper Malaika Mohambo. Barbie made a figure dedicated to each of them because of her power to inspire girls, women and people in general to reach their maximum potential in the sporting field.

Gold medallist Dina Asher-Smith is the fastest woman in British history, she's also World Champion, and four times European Champion. It's only natural then that Barbie would recruit her as their latest ‘Shero’, following Adwoa Aboah last year.

The greatest sprinter in British history, Dina won 4 gold medals at the European Championships (2016 and 2018), 1 at the World Championships (2019) and currently holds the British record in the 100m dash (10.83s ), 200 m floor (21.88 sec.) and in the 4×100 relay (41.77 sec.)

I’m so proud to have my own one-of-a-kind Dina Barbie doll. It’s an honour to work with Barbie as a ‘Shero’ and work together to inspire future champions! Growing up, sportswomen were less visible in the media and there is still a gap when it comes to women’s sports, which is why representation is so important. For Barbie to champion female athletes and different sports shows future generations that anything is possible. I hope little girls will see my doll and be inspired to take up and continue to enjoy sports! There are so many amazing things have happened because of my love for running, but having my own Barbie is definitely up there.