The best-selling doll’s manufacturer Mattel announced the new looks Thursday, ending a 56-year-old tradition of Barbie having just one physique: unrealistically perfect.

The new dolls join Barbie’s Fashionista line, which will now feature four body types. It will also have seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles – an acknowledgement, belated for some, that women come in many sizes and shapes.

“Barbie reflects the world girls see around them. Her ability to evolve and grow with the times, while staying true to her spirit, is central to why Barbie is the number one fashion doll in the world,” Mattel President and CEO Richard Dickson said in a statement.

“We believe we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty,” added Evelyn Mazzocco, senior vice president and global general manager of the Barbie brand.

New dolls could boost sales

Mattel is not the first doll maker to shatter the mold of what pretty means.

In late 2014, graphic artist Nickolay Lamm introduced a doll named Lammily, which features what the company calls standard human body proportions.

In 2002, Tonner Doll came out with one called Emme, after the plus-size model who went by that name.

The new Barbie looks should help Mattel boost declining sales of the doll – down for three straight years and by 16 percent in the first half of 2015.

Last year, Mattel launched “Hello Barbie”: a version that uses WiFi and voice recognition technology so kids can actually hold conversations with the toy.

This is not the first time Mattel has released Barbies with different looks, although the body types are new.

In 1980, Mattel marketed Black Barbie, who had an afro-style hair-do.

Mattel’s failure to change Barbie’s body size had drawn a lot of criticism, but the company long defended the design.

“Barbie’s body was never designed to be realistic. She was designed for girls to easily dress and undress,” Kimberly Culmone, vice president of Barbie Global Creative, explained in 2014 in an interview with the website Fast Company.

Culmone challenged the notion that Barbie dolls could play a role in how little girls might perceive women’s bodies and their own.

“Clearly, the influences for girls on those types of issues, whether it’s body image or anything else, it’s proven, it’s peers, moms, parents. It’s their social circles,” Culmone said.

However, a British study in 2006 of girls aged five to eight found that those exposed to Barbie had a less favorable view of their own bodies.

These girls ended up wanting a thinner body than did girls not exposed to the doll.

After the new Barbie body types were announced on Thursday, social media lit up with messages of praise.Read more at:mariepromdress.co.uk | http://www.mariepromdress.co.uk/prom-dresses

(Photo:green prom dresses)Actress Sarah Gadon ditched her two-litres-of-water-a-day habit while shooting her new mini-series, because her girdle made bathroom breaks too much effort.

The 28-year-old actress has just wrapped 11.22.63, about a high school teacher who travels back in time to try to stop the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. It’s based on the book by Stephen King, with Sarah playing the lead’s love interest Sadie, and while it was fun to work on, the costumes took more than a little getting used to.

“Because Sadie was a working woman, we kept the hair and make-up realistic, so quite pared down and natural,” she told Allure.com. “I did have to wear a girdle, though, which is not the greatest experience – I don’t think women were drinking two litres of water like we do today because going to the bathroom was a lot of work.”

It wasn’t all bad news though, as the restrictive item actually improved Sarah’s posture in the long term. The first scene she shot saw her in a complicated dance routine with her co-star James Franco, complete with girdle holding her in place, and looking back she can’t believe she nailed it.

“It was a real cardio workout, dancing around and being thrown into the air,” she laughed. “Afterwards we were so out of breath that we walked to different corners of the room to regroup. I saw him out of breath and all I could think was, ‘And I’m doing this in a girdle!'”

Sarah has been making waves in the beauty and fashion worlds as well as with her acting – she was confirmed as the face of Giorgio Armani Beauty in 2015. She cites the company’s Luminous Silk Foundation as her go-to base for the cold winter months, but moisturiser-wise she shuns pricey brands in favour of organic aloe vera gel. Her other picks are Vaseline, which is a staple in her make-up bag, and a tea tree oil stick from The Body Shop which is brilliant at busting her blemishes.

“It’s really exciting, especially since I’m a huge beauty junkie and I’ve always been a fan of the brand, both their cosmetics and their stunning campaign images,” she said of her role with Armani. “I got the call about a year ago, and it was a completely surreal moment and such a dream job. Working with Mr. Armani is such an incredible experience because he’s so creative and such a visionary, and Linda Cantello is amazing and a true artist.”Read more at:purple prom dresses

(Photo:graduation dresses)A fashion show by students mentored by popular fashion designer Rocky S is set to depict different cultures of the country here.

The show, put up by students of JD Institute of Fashion Technology, will be held at NCUI Auditorium here on Wednesday.

“India is a land of colours and diverse cultures. For this fashion show, my focus is to show different elements of India’s diverse cultures and at the same time making sure it is evident in the varied dresses as well,” Rocky S said in a statement.

R.C. Dalal, executive director, JD Institute of Fashion Technology, believes that traditional clothing in India greatly varies across different parts of the country.

“India’s clothing styles have continuously evolved over the course of the country’s history. It is very important for today’s youth to be informed about our culture which is one of the oldest and unique,” he added.

The theme for 26th JD Annual Design Awards will also be announced during the event.

In order to inspire the student designers and give them a chance to associate with the leaders of the fashion industry, JD Annual Design Awards are organised annually. Every year, students from all departments; fashion, interior and jewellery design are given a theme and based on that they prepare their designs.Read more at:short prom dresses

(Photo:graduation gowns)The holiday marathon stretch of Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is full of parties, potlucks and proposals, with many people coming out of the holiday haze with a sparkly left hand. Now that everyone’s settling back in to real life, those newly minted brides-to-be have a lot of planning to do.

That’s where the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Bridal Show on Sunday comes into play.

“It’s the mecca of all things bridal,” says Democrat-Gazette Marketing and Events Director Amanda Copley.

And brides will have a little more time to shop this year. Instead of opening at 1 p.m., the official start time is now 12:30 p.m.

For the twice-yearly fair, the Statehouse Convention Center is stocked full of booths with vendors offering information on everything from music and flowers to personalized water bottles and selfie stands. They’ll also have samples and displays so brides can see the latest trends up-close, getting a tactile experience they can’t get from perusing bridal magazines or Pinterest.

The booths, Copley says, “are literally like individual artwork. Their booths are gorgeous. They show off the best of the best of what they have put together. You could essentially plan your entire wedding at this show.”

There are two stages. The sponsors’ stage will have sponsor question-and-answer advice sessions while the Main Stage will be the place to go for contests like “Dress Your Groom” and “BYOB (Build Your Own Bouquet).”

The Main Stage will also be the gathering spot for the big finale, the “bang-up” fashion show at 4:30 p.m., which features more than 50 looks for everyone in the wedding party, from the mother of the bride to the flower girl.

After the show, organizers will announce the winner of the Ultimate Wedding Package, which includes photography, a DJ, rentals, flowers, cake and other goodies valued at more than $6,000. The winner will be chosen from a drawing and brides must be present to win.

One does not actually have to have an engagement ring to participate. Copley says vendors have reported a surprising number of nonbrides getting tips on skin care, makeup and fashion for proms and other formal events.

Every bride is special and has access to all the vendors and games, but the show has special things planned for those who buy the Very Important Bride (VIB) package for $45: “swag bags,” reserved seating for the fashion show and early admission.

In the past, VIBs were admitted a half-hour before everyone else, but along with tweaking general admission time, they’ve also bumped the VIBs, opening doors to them at 11:30 a.m., a full hour ahead of the rest of the crowd.

“We wanted them to feel exclusive and ‘very important,'” Copley explains.

Organizers also added a more intimate information-gathering opportunity for the VIBs: the VIB & Sponsor Mixer, 7-9 p.m. Saturday, a small reception where brides can chat with sponsors including The Bridal Cottage, Chenal Country Club, PattiCakes Bakery and Melody Skin Care.

“It can be crazy in that show,” Copley explains, and the mixer is designed to give brides a chance for a quieter, calmer consultation.

Men are invited to the show too, but if it’s all a bit too much for the prospective grooms, there will be football and recliners in the man cave.

As for the brides, Copley recommends comfortable shoes and coming with a retinue.

“Bring your bridesmaids or your wedding support crew. It makes it more fun to have everybody come and get opinions and see everything and start to plan that special day.”Read more at:prom dresses

At last year’s Met Gala, Mario Testino introduced Christopher Bailey to the Canadian-Chinese actor and musician Kris Wu, the most talked about person at the event on social media after Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Beyoncé.

Testino had shot Wu for the cover of Vogue China in July, alongside Kendall Jenner. The introduction to Bailey got Wu another job, closing the Burberry men’s show in London on Monday.

Hundreds of Wu’s mega-fans had been waiting since dawn to catch a glimpse of the star — China’s answer to Bieber — who had no idea he’d be the last model out on the runway.

“It was very exciting, but I was nervous at the same time. My heart was pounding, but then I tried to look like I was not nervous,” Wu told WWD, demonstrating a facial transition from animated to the picture of catwalk model blankness.

Wu’s was sporting a shaved head, his regular lustrous coif long since shaved in sacrifice of his role as a monk in “Journey to the West: Demon Chapter,” which is set to be released next year.

“I had a shaved head for, like, four months,” he said. “I was kind of nervous about it because you know I’ve always had hair, but now I’m kind of used to it. It’s fun.”

While Wu walked, fellow celebrities took up their seats in the front row. Guests included Steve McQueen, Brooklyn Beckham, Mark Ronson, Joséphine de la Baume, Tinie Tempah, Jourdan Dunn, Dermot O’Leary, Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, Andrew Weitz, Nick Grimshaw, Toby Huntington-Whiteley, Johannes Huebl, Dougie Poynter, Hu Bing, David Gandy and Rafferty Law.

George Barnett was sporting a tan after a break in Belize with Jack Guinness, who had taken the passing of David Bowie as a call to push the boundaries of his wardrobe.Read more at:

“I heard the news this morning when I was getting ready and I looked at my options and, as silly as it sounds, I wanted to be more fearless and more creative, so I put on the craziest, most Bowie outfit I had. I think he’s an inspiration for us all to be more creative, more brave and to take more risks,” he said.Read more at:pink prom dresses uk | green prom dresses uk