With her blonde hair, blue eyes and out of this world body proportions, Barbie has long been criticised for reinforcing unattainable standards of beauty, but it appears creator Mattel is now planning to revolutionise things.

While she’s turned her static hand to everything from teaching and medicine to yoga and ski instructing, there’s one thing Barbie has never never quite managed to be; a reflection of real life diversity.

In order to make amends however, toy company Mattel (which first created the iconic doll some 56 years ago) has launched a new range of Barbie dolls called the Fashionistas, which it's hoped will better reflect women and more diverse ideas of beauty.

It’s reported there’ll be 23 new dolls in total, all of different body shapes and heights, along with 14 different face shapes, 18 variations of eye colour, 23 hair shades and eight different skin tones.

With the new range, which has already been launched in the States, Barbie will also be able to step out of heels for the first time since 1959.

Meet the diverse Barbie dolls with 23 hair shades, 14 face shapes and a flat shoe range by Sophia Webster