Empowering young girls to pursue their dreams
Research reveals that starting at age five many young girls develop self-limiting beliefs about their capabilities compared to boys. Often referred to as the Dream Gap, Barbie recognized a need to close this gap by showing young girls they can be anything.
To do this, the brand created a year-over-year program to identify real-life role models to inspire more girls. Known as the Barbie Role Model Program, the initiative introduces girls around the world to remarkable women to show them they can be anything.
Tasked with launching the global program locally, the team understood that global campaigns require local relevance to resonate with Canadian audiences. Since 2018, the team has worked closely with Barbie to identify and shine a spotlight on Canadian role models who align with the overall global theme each year and, at the same time, are relevant locally.
Over the years, the program has recognized celebrated female athletes, world-famous musicians and women doing remarkable things in STEM to inspire the next generation of female athletes, artists, scientists, engineers and more!
For example, in 2021, as many children were struggling with mental health issues because of the pandemic, Barbie recognized a local doctor who specialized in child and adolescent psychiatry. The recognition drew attention from media around the world and resulted in the doctor being featured on the cover of Time Magazine. Then in 2024, the team recognized one of Canada’s most celebrated artists and musicians for the work she has done to shine a spotlight on female empowerment, drawing the attention of media around the world.
The program has driven more than a billion media impressions and continues to reach young girls and their parents with an important message each year.