Autistic Barbie Doesn’t Represent Me. She Shouldn’t Have to |
Earlier this week, Mattel launched the first ever autistic Barbie—or at least the first Barbie to be explicitly identified as such. The newest addition to the Fashionistas collection, a line of Barbies that aims to bring more of the real world’s diversity to children’s play, was designed in conjunction with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Everything from her outfit to her accessories to her joints was made with input from real autistic people.
Autistic Barbie doesn’t really represent me as an autistic person.
Let me count the ways. First, there’s the fact that she comes with an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device, a tool that helps non- and minimally speaking people communicate. My favorite method of communication is writing on my laptop—I can be a motormouth when you get me going. Next, she wears noise-cancelling earmuffs to help protect against sensory overload, where I find the sensation of them against my ears causes more dysregulation than it prevents. Then there are her eyes, which look slightly off to one side to represent the fact that many autistic people don’t make eye contact because it’s too uncomfortable, and we don’t get the same nonverbal feedback that neurotypical people do, anyway. I, meanwhile, took people too literally when they told me to look them in the eye as an undiagnosed child. As a result, I sometimes make too much eye contact, like I’m staring through people’s souls. The doll’s wrists and elbows are articulated so that she can flap her hands—I’ve always been more of a hair twirler when it comes to stimming. Her dress is loose-fitting to cut down on fabric to skin contact, while I find fitness compression gear more soothing. She’s brown and I’m white.
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And honestly? I think that’s great. The autism spectrum encompasses a range of abilities and support needs, as well as every race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class on earth. One character or toy is never........