Rugby star Ilona Maher is a Barbie now. She insisted the doll have broad shoulders, strong arms
American Olympian Ilona Maher is taking the leap from the rugby pitch to toy-store shelves, as the bronze medallist was honoured with her own signature Barbie doll on Monday.
Maher conquered the social media game in her last two Olympic appearances, bringing her sport to new heights in a country where rugby rarely breaks through to the mainstream. She picked up her bronze with the U.S. team in Paris last summer.
“It’s going to feel really real when I get to give it to a young girl,” said Maher, one of the most recognizable figures in her sport. “For them to get to enjoy the Barbie, see themselves in the Barbie, that’s when I think I’ll have a tear in my eye.”
The Maher Barbie doll, made by Mattel, will be available at retailers next year.
Featuring her signature red lipstick and braided ponytail, Maher insisted that the doll have her broad shoulders and a muscular frame, advancing her mission of body positivity.
“We wanted to see that in the Barbie and they did such a good job with it. I mean, she’s been hitting the gym,” she told Reuters.
“I just wanted to make sure I felt seen in the Barbie and that I feel proud to give this to somebody else, so that they feel like they see themselves in it as well.”
The 29-year-old praised the manufacturer’s attention to detail, with the doll appearing game-ready with knee pads and precise replicas of her Adidas cleats.
Three other rugby players — England’s Ellie Kildunne, New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and France’s Nassira Konde — will also be immortalized in doll form in celebration of International Day of the Girl, though Maher’s is the only doll that will be at retailers in fall 2026.
“Barbies are the ultimate image of beauty and femininity. And so that’s what we grew up seeing every day,” said Maher.
“What I want is that when girls play with this, and they see my Barbie and the broad shoulders and the big arms, that can kind of shape their views of beauty as well.”
Ilona Maher said she used to be ashamed of her muscles. Now, she’s on the newest swimsuit cover of Sports Illustrated — an appearance that the magazine’s editor says ‘symbolizes a shift in the narrative.’
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