Love:
- Her accessories! That little iPad right there. What wonderful representation of different ways of communicating, AAC in action on the main stage, hurrah!
- The embracing of diversity in representation of different ethnicities. Whilst not ‘well’ represented, white men are in the autistic majority, according to mainstream media. The diagnostic criteria itself is based on male presentation…
- She’s a she ! Women and girls go underrepresented and under-diagnosed so Barbie !? Perfect!
- Autistic visibility – Autistic people belong in Barbie’s world, too.
- And most of all, all of the conversations this will open up, all of the autistic girls who’ll get to feel included in Barbie’s world and all of the children who will learn a bit more about the autistic children in their class, their communities, through play with her.
Hate:
- That there’s only one! What is it to ‘look autistic?’ Autistic people don’t share just one look, one identity, one way of expressing themselves.
“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism” – Dr. Stephen Shaw
But maybe that’s not the point….At Said Differently, we feel a huge sense of excitement that Autistic Barbie, just, IS. We can’t wait for other toy companies to jump on board, because representation MATTERS.