Finally, you can give Barbie a modest makeover.
Last year, toy company Mattel attempted to make the iconic Barbie doll more diverse, introducing curvy dolls, tall dolls and petite dolls.
Still, we were disappointed to find there was still no hijabi Barbie among the line-up.
Now, two mums in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have taken matters into their own hands, creating doll-sized hijabs and selling them through an online store, Hello Hijab.
Read:
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The idea was born when Gisele Fetterman, whose five-year-old daughter Grace owns dolls reflecting many different cultures, noticed there were no Muslim dolls among her collection.
She talked to her Muslim friend, Safaa Bokhari, who said her daughter also had no hijabi dolls. They recognised a gap in the doll accessories market, and enlisted the help of an artist to make the tiny headscarves.
“When I heard the idea, I was hooked,” Bokhari told Mashable. “My daughter usually plays with my hijabs at home, but I need this for her future.”
Each miniature headscarf, made from real hijabs and sewn by Muslim seamstresses, sells for $6 (Dhs22), with all of the proceeds going towards organisations that serve multicultural communities.
They come with a little tag explaining to their new owners what a hijab is and why it is important.
The project is being supported by Fetterman’s nonprofit, For Good, and since the online store launched this month, orders have been coming in thick and fast.
“Hello Hijab believes that while we may look different and have different beliefs, our similarities far outweigh our differences,” Fetterman writes on the website, along with the group’s co-founder, Kristen Michaels.
While the doll-sized hijabs are currently only available to order in the US, we’re hoping this will be the start of a larger movement… and maybe the makers of Barbie will finally take notice.
(Or you could try making your own – look at this adorable crochet hijab!)
Images: Hello Hijab, Instagram
