Rose Ayling-Ellis on new Deaf Barbie doll: ‘We’re getting rid of that narrative of what is beautiful anymore’

Eastenders star and Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has celebrated the launch of the first Barbie doll with a hearing aid, a “really exciting” version of the classic children’s toy which goes on sale to the public today.

The toy is part of a new Fashionista range of representative Barbie products which launched on Friday, including dolls with prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs and vitiligo.

Speaking to The Limping Chicken about the Deaf Barbie doll, Rose said: “Barbie’s classic. We all have Barbie in our house – well, most of us. I did.

“Finally, we’ve got a Barbie with a hearing aid – a Deaf Barbie.”

Rose, a blonde woman with blue eyes, went on to note that while the Barbie doll looked like her when she was a child, “it wasn’t Deaf”.

“I used to draw a hearing aid on it and then I’m like, ‘ah, boom,’” she added.

After winning the latest series of Strictly with dance partner Giovanni Pernice in December, the pair visited a Deaf school in London to celebrate their nomination for a Must-See Moment BAFTA – an award voted for by the public which they later went on to win.

Asked what the Deaf Barbie doll means to deaf children and young people today, Rose replied: “Obviously, a lot of the children looked up to me on Strictly because they had someone that is representing the same [experience] as them. I didn’t have that when I was growing up.

“I never really saw anyone Deaf on TV, so it’s really nice that they’ve now got more options. They see me on TV, and now they can go to a shop and buy a Barbie that looks like them too.”

Rose also remarked that the famous toy used to be “the one model” and was “always the same”, so it is “nice to have some diversity”.

She continued: “I think it’s important for children as well to realise that they themselves are beautiful. The thing is, beauty and what we think is ugly… no one has the same idea.

“It’s society which has created what is ugly to us. Everyone comes in different shapes and sizes and it’s just so beautiful.

“Who is to decide what is ugly? No one should decide that.

“So I think children now can play with Barbie with so many different sizes and shapes, and it makes them be like, ‘yeah, we’re all just different and there’s no one way’.

“We’re getting rid of that narrative of what is beautiful anymore,” she said.

The actress now hopes toy brands will represent a “different range of Deaf people”, including different races, cochlear implant users, Deaf people with multiple disabilities and British Sign Language (BSL) signers.

Calls for more toys representative of disabled people have been made in the past through the Toy Like Me campaign – founded by deaf writer and journalist Rebecca Atkinson.

The project has already created Deaf dolls, with a Deaf Tinker Bell wearing a pink cochlear implant going viral in 2015.

Commenting on the interest in the Deaf Tinker Bell doll at the time, Rebecca said: “For parents of Deaf children I think there is something very emotive about seeing a familiar mainstream character like Tinker Bell with a cochlear implant or hearing aid.

“It creates a very positive image of disability that is seldom found by marrying up something mainstream with something affecting a minority – it’s a powerful mix.”

The new Barbie doll has been welcomed by the National Deaf Children’s Society, with participation manager Rosie Eggleston saying the toy will give children “a much greater appreciation of the diversity of people around them”.

“[She will] provide a window into the world of deafness. It will also mean a lot to those deaf children who wear hearing aids because they’ll see their own experiences reflected in a truly mainstream toy.

“This could really help them to be proud of their deafness, celebrate wearing hearing aids and have new opportunities to talk to their friends about what it’s really like to be deaf.

“It’s a really positive step towards inclusion.”

Toy company Mattel said it consulted with experts to ensure the portrayal of the hearing aids on the Barbie doll was accurate, with the organisation’s head of Barbie and dolls Lisa McKnight saying the popular brand “wholeheartedly believes in the power of representation”.

“As the most diverse doll line on the market, we are committed to continuing to introduce dolls featuring a range of skin tones, body types and disabilities to reflect the diversity kids see in the world around them.

“It’s important for kids to see themselves reflected in product and to encourage play with dolls that don’t resemble them to help them understand and celebrate the importance of inclusion.”

The Fashionista range, including the Deaf Barbie doll, is available now in UK retailers, with a recommended retail price of £13.99 each.

Photo: Mattel.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.