Skip to main content

Madam C.J. Walker, the first U.S. self-made female millionaire, gets her own Barbie

August 29, 2022

Madam C.J. Walker is the latest woman to join Barbie’s Inspiring Women collection. Walker’s great-great-granddaughter worked with Barbie to incorporate details from the pioneering businesswoman’s life.

Madam C.J. Walker is joining Barbie’s lineup of Inspiring Women dolls.

Walker, often referred to as the nation’s first documented self-made female millionaire, was known for her entrepreneurial skills as she built her haircare and cosmetic brand from scratch.

But aside from her beauty empire, Walker was also known for her philanthropic and social justice efforts, including her contributions to the NAACP anti-lynching movement. It’s Walker’s whole story that her great-great-grandaughter A’Lelia Bundles hopes younger generations will learn about through the new doll. FOR MORE

How Madam C.J. Walker Invented Her Hair Care Products

More articles like this…

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: the new wave of women photographers – in pictures

Celebrating Women in April and May

Before Computers Were Machines, They Were Women—Here Are Six Places Where Human Computers Built Modern Science