Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Style

    Barbie Will Be Able To Swap High Heels For Flat Shoes For First Time In 56 Years

    Toy company Mattel will now make their dolls with adjustable ankles. This is a huge step for Barbie.

    By Marie Claire
    Published 4 June 2015 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Barbie
    Barbie
    (Image credit: Rex Features)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Toy company Mattel will now make their dolls with adjustable ankles. This is a huge step for Barbie.

    Barbie will soon be able to give her feet a rest after 56 years of tottering around in high heels.

    The company behind the famous toy have revealed that the dolls will now be made with adjustable ankles, allowing her to wear flat shoes too.

    Looks like Barbie's already enviable closet is about to get even more amazing then. Just imagine all of the gladiators, loafers, sneakers and ballet pumps she'll be able to pair her outfits with.

    Since becoming a household name all over the world in 1959, Barbie's feet have been engineered with a permanent arch to fit everything from spike-heeled stilettos, wedges and platform boots.

    It's a very important change as until now, Barbie has had to undertake activities including doing to housework, horse riding and cooking wearing impractical shoes.

    The news broke as Mattel introduced their new 'Fashionista' range - and it's not only footwear that's had quite a drastic makeover.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Barbie dolls will now be made with a choice of 8 different skin tones, 14 facial sculpts and 18 different eye colours. Customers will also be able to choose from 23 different hair shades and 22 different hairstyles.

    Is the iconic doll about to become our new star source of hair inspiration too? Probably.

    Mattel's announcement has caused quite a stir on Twitter, with many users taking to the social media site to share their views.

    'Barbie's finally getting flat shoes, said one. 'About time.'

    Barbie - who's real name is Barbara Millicent Roberts - has come along way since her advent back in the fifties, when Mattel's co-founder Ruth saw a gap in the market for children's toys with adult roles.

    To celebrate her 50th birthday in 2009, a special haute couture show at New York Fashion Week was dedicated to Barbie. Diane Von Furstenburg, Christian Louboutin and Vera Wang were among designers to take part.

    And on Valentine's Day back in 2007, Mac released a line of Barbie-themed cosmetics.

    'This is intended to be a very sophisticated make-up collection, designed for adults - not children,' Mac's Peter Lichtenhal said at the time.

    'It's a collection that's fun. One of the things that we do is bring fashion and glamour to the make-up market.'

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Latest in Style
    models wearing new Sézane
    Fashion Sézane Just Launched the Most French Rebrand of All Time—Here's What We'll Shop
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
     
     
    DUA LIPA WEARING A CAMISOLE TOP
    Shopping When a T-Shirt Feels Too Plain, Try the Trending Top Alexa Chung, Tracee Ellis Ross and Daisy Edgar-Jones Are Wearing
    @nlmarilyn in transitional autumn outfits
    Fashion Goodbye Summer Dresses, I'm in Autumn Outfit Planning Mode—These 5 Are Fresh
     
     
    Latest in News
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    DUA LIPA WEARING A CAMISOLE TOP
    Shopping When a T-Shirt Feels Too Plain, Try the Trending Top Alexa Chung, Tracee Ellis Ross and Daisy Edgar-Jones Are Wearing
     
     
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: The Foundation Using Exosome Technology, the Treatment That Transformed My Skin Texture—Plus, the Ever-Earlier Advent Calendar Race
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Everything Kaia Gerber Wears Is a Masterclass in Minimalism—These Are the Pieces and Brands She Always Goes Back to
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.