Steph Gilmore Is Now A Barbie

A doll or plush toy is the first companion we rehearse life with.

We project onto it, confide in it, appreciate its stillness. Life eventually becomes complicated and animated. The doll remains a doll.

And perhaps that’s why the symbolism lingers. The world outside increasingly resembles a bin fire of absurd geopolitics, fraying economies, and the constant struggle to keep one’s head above water. Yet the instinct remains to give time, admiration, and money to objects. Some small enough to hold. Tiny aspirational effigies.

Which is how we arrive, somewhat improbably, though not entirely unprecedented, at a surfer becoming a Barbie.

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Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, Mattel has released a Barbie model of Stephanie Gilmore, the most decorated female surfer in history. The eight-time world champion, now 38, is preparing her return to the CT after a two-year sabbatical, during which she spent her time finding waves, fine-tuning her rail game, and tending to business ventures.

She joins a growing lineup of athletes and public figures turned into the world’s most recognisable doll. This year it includes tennis legend Serena Williams and astronaut Kellie Gerardi, among others who’ve left indelible marks in their respective fields.

Surfing has appeared in Barbie form before. Portugal’s own Teresa Bonvalot in 2020 and Brazilian tow-in surfer Maya Gabeira in 2019 have previously been immortalised in plastic.

Mattel says the intention is to highlight role models capable of inspiring girls around the world. Which, somehow, is what dolls have always done: give us a miniature possibility of the person we might want to become.

Last year the brand also experimented with “Kenbassadors,” producing a doll of LeBron James. Which means there are now only two notable trophies missing from Kelly Slater’s otherwise exhaustive résumé: an Olympic medal, and a Barbie doll.