When I was a young girl in the 1950s, I loved my Barbie doll. I had no idea the doll didn't reflect real women.
Last week Mattel Inc., Barbie's manufacturer, released six new Barbie dolls. One was modeled after a Las Vegas physician. 👩🏽⚕️
Her name is Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz.
She returned from maternity leave in March 2020. Well, you know what happened on March 16. The Las Vegas Covid-19 lockdown.
Dr. Cruz was thrown into the crazed world of PPE, N95 masks 😷 and sick patients with a disease no one had seen before. She was a front-line health care worker trying to save the lives of Las Vegans.
She sent her infant son to her parents, worried she would bring the terrible disease home to him.
The Philipina-American nurse also noticed another scary virus: the wave of Asian-American hate crime, as some Americans were blaming Asians for Covid-19.
So Dr. Cruz decided to do something about it. She made a video with other Asian-American doctors and nurses. They used the hashtag: #IAmNotAVirus
The campaign went viral. And Mattel noticed.
It took some 70 years, but Mattel finally figured out women like Dr. Cruz can be role models.
Well done!
((hugs)) BETH Ellyn
#shorts
