Venus Williams makes the perfect Barbie doll.
Mattel unveiled a doll made in the 43-year-old tennis pro’s image on Wednesday, May 22, to celebrate the importance of women’s sports. The toy, which features a plastic Williams in a white tennis dress and a matching visor, was introduced as part of the Team Barbie athlete collection that includes a plethora of other sports stars. Williams’ doll also holds a Wilson tennis racket and rocks hoop earrings and a braided ponytail.
Williams gushed about her personalized doll via Instagram on Wednesday, writing, “Barbies are role models for girls. Especially at this stage in my life all I wanna do is share what I know and what I’ve learned to help other people, in particular, young women.” Williams added that the doll is “one of a kind.”
“Meet your role models 💪,” Barbie captioned its own social media post, announcing the collection. “Barbie is proud to celebrate 65 years of inspiring the limitless potential in every girl alongside some of the world’s greatest athletes, who show us every day that girls have what it takes to make their dreams come true.”
Williams further opened up about her collaboration in a press statement. “Throughout my career, I’ve always been driven by the idea of shattering glass ceilings and staying true to myself, and Barbie’s mission couldn’t resonate more deeply with that ethos.” The tennis pro also shared that she’s “honored to be recognized.”
Other female athletes in the collection include soccer players Mary Fowler and Christine Sinclair, gymnasts Rebeca Andrade and Alexa Moreno, runners Susana Rodriguez Gacio and Ewa Swoboda, boxer Estelle Mossely and swimmer Federica Pellegrini.
Throughout her career, Venus has won seven Grand Slam titles, 14 Grand Slam doubles — with her older sister Serena Williams — and four Olympic gold medals.
