Sports Illustrated’s annual Swimsuit Issue hits newsstands next week and passersby will probably do a double take at the cover–instead of the usual human models, Barbie will be gracing it in all her plastic glory.
Pictured in a new version of the black-and-white swimsuit she wore at her debut in 1959 and accompanied by the defiant tagline “Unapologetic”, her appearance is part of the magazine’s 50th anniversary edition and places her in the same league as the magazine’s real life models.
Mattel explained its decision to include the doll, saying “Barbie is a legend in her own right, with more than 150 careers and a brand valued at $3 billion... As a legend herself, and under criticism about her body and how she looks, posing in ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’ gives Barbie and her fellow legends an opportunity to own who they are, celebrate what they have done, and be unapologetic.”
Both Barbie and Sports Illustrated have been dogged by criticism for years that they fuel unrealistic expectations of women’s bodies, and this campaign is a chance for both brands to assert their identity and hit back at their critics.
The campaign, with photos by renown sports photographer Walter Iooss Jr, will roll out this month with billboards in Times Square, a limited edition Sports Illustrated Barbie to be sold on Target.com, behind-the-scenes videos and Barbie-related content on the Sports Illustrated website.
The Swimsuit Issue is out 18 February.
What do you think of Barbie’s appearance in the magazine?
[via Ad Age and The New York Times, images by Mattel and The New York Times]