Farah Ann Abdul Hadi is the first Malaysian woman to have a Barbie made after her.
Mattel, the American toy company that is responsible for the creation of Barbie, has recognised Farah’s achievement of being the first Malaysian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in 20 years.
Farah is now considered as Malaysia’s pride as she has made international news with her entry into the Olympics as an artistic gymnast. She will be competing in next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.
At the young age of 26, Farah qualified for the Olympics. She was born in 1994 in Subang Jaya and took up gymnastics at the age of 3. Farah began competing at the Sukma Games, a sporting event for young Malaysian athletes, and starter working her way up to the top from there.
The Farah Barbie doll is a part of the Barbie Dream Gap Project which aims to empower young girls, encouraging them to pursue their dreams. This project models Barbies after accomplished women from all walks of life including athletes, journalists, chefs and even Australia’s very own Bindi Irwin.
This year’s campaign theme is “You Can Be An Athlete”, hence the modelling of Farah. Alongside Farah, other Malaysian athletes including Nicol Ann David, Leong Mun Lee, Shahlin Zulkifli and Anja Chong will also be having Barbies made after them.
Farah’s doll is dressed in her iconic competing outfit - a pink, white and gold leotard in which she wore at previous competitions. Her doll will also be sporting her signature sleek ponytail. In the ad for Farah’s doll, she is seen in the gym, in her element, side by side with a young girl who plays 6-year-old Farah.
Unfortunately dolls from the Barbie Dream Project are unavailable for purchase, and will solely be used as a platform to honour these female role models and empower young girls to chase their dreams.
Bio: Stephanie is a first-generation Chinese-Australian from Hong Kong. She is in her final year of completing a Bachelor of Communications in Public Relations and Journalism at the University of Technology Sydney.
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-leung-b326011a3
Instagram @stephanie.leungg
Comments