Barbie Chooses Career As Game Developer This Summer

Though it should be a big “duh” that girls can create awesome games, for Barbie, it’s a major step forward.

Barbie’s undergoing some serious changes this year. If you, like me, haven’t thought much about Barbie since you were a kid, you may be surprised to see how far she’s come from the pink-clad, ever-effeminate blonde of her early years. Along with some applause-worthy changes in appearance to help Barbie better reflect the people who purchase her, she’s also trying out a new career this year: as a game developer.

Polygon reports that as a part of a “Career of the Year” series, Barbie’s chosen profession for 2016 is Game Developer, and dang does she look classy:

Coming complete with a cool, casual outfit, a laptop, and wireless headset, Barbie’s all set to tackle the challenging world of game development. Okay, it’s a bit simplistic, but most of the careers are. The point is that we’ve got a major cultural icon telling the world that girls don’t need to be stuck in “girly” professions as Barbie so often has. “You can be anything.” Heck, the Game Developer Barbie will even be released around the same time as new President and Vice President Barbies. Neat!

Cheers for Mattel for moving beyond the weird sexism of their last game developer Barbie attempt and creating something identifiable and cool. I haven’t owned a Barbie for years, but I’m happy to know that if my future kids are ever interested, they’ll have a wide variety of options available, highlighting all the different possibilities for their present and future.