Barbie unveils first-ever doll with scoliosis; know more about the condition

Mattel worked closely with Dr Luke Macyszyn, a board-certified neurosurgeon and specialist in children's complex spinal disorders, who advised the designers throughout the development of this unique doll

By: Lifestyle Desk

New Delhi | February 2, 2023 05:30 PM IST

4 min read

Barbie's first-ever doll with scoliosis (Source: mattel.com)

In an appreciable move towards inclusivity, Mattel — the maker of Barbie — has introduced its first-ever doll with scoliosis. The 6-inch Chelsea doll has scoliosis, which is a curvature in the spine, and comes with a removable brace. With this little doll, the toy company aims to normalise the equipment and encourages children to celebrate inclusion.

Mattel worked closely with Dr Luke Macyszyn, a board-certified neurosurgeon and specialist in children’s complex spinal disorders, who advised the designers throughout the development of this unique doll.

The doll comes with a removable brace (Source: mattel.com)

This new doll of Chelsea, Barbie’s younger sister, wears a removable pink dress with a colourful print and white shoes, and styles her long brunette hair with waves.

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Lisa McKnight, executive vice president and global head of Barbie and Dolls at Mattel, was quoted as saying by Sky News, “We believe in the power of representation and are committed to creating dolls in a variety of looks so that kids can see themselves in Barbie – and now in a line celebrating Barbie’s little sister, Chelsea.”

What is scoliosis?

The term scoliosis is derived from the Greek word skolios, which means crookedness. “Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine by more than 10 degrees. It is usually seen in childhood and adolescent age, especially during the growth spurt. The curvature worsens as the child grows and is usually observed by their parents,” Dr Venkata Ramakrishna T, Consultant Spine Surgeon, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, said.

Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine by more than 10 degrees (Source: mattel.com)

He explained that the most common type of scoliosis is the adolescent idiopathic type, which means the exact cause is not known. “The other less common causes are cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, congenital defect at the time of birth affecting the development of the bones of the spine, spinal cord abnormalities, infections of the spine etc,” Dr Venkata said.

Symptoms

The expert listed some common symptoms associated with scoliosis:

*Uneven shoulder level
*Uneven prominent shoulder blade on one side
*Uneven waist level
*Crowding of ribs on one side
*Prominence of one side of the back while bending
*Tuft of hair or scar on the back in some cases
*Back pain
*Decreased respiratory effort in severe cases

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How to manage it?

Dr Venkata shared that the treatment depends on the type of scoliosis and the severity of the cure. “Before determining the treatment options, the factors to be considered are spinal maturity, degree and severity of the curve, level and location of the curve on the spine and the possibility of curve progression.”

“The treatment options are observation in small curves which are below 20 degrees, spinal bracing in curves which are above 20 and below 40 degrees, and surgery in curves greater than 40 degrees and in curves which have a high possibility of progression,” he added further.

Prior to this, Mattel had introduced a wheelchair-using doll, one with vitiligo, and one with a prosthetic leg, among others.

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