A Naomi Osaka Barbie doll honoring the four-time Grand slam tennis champ sold out hours after it launched on Monday.
The doll was created as part of the Barbie Role Model series and wears the exact Nike outfit Osaka wore at the 2020 Australian Open, which featured a Nike tennis dress and white visor, according to CNN.
Carlyle Nuera, who was commissioned to design the doll, spoke openly of his admiration for Osaka.
"Obviously Naomi's athletic skill is unmatched, that's a fact," Nuera said. "But what I personally admire the most about Naomi Osaka is how she uses her platform, the spotlight on her and her voice, to raise awareness about social justice."
Osaka previously collaborated with Barbie in 2019, when she featured as one of the brand's Shero dolls.
"I hope every child is reminded that they can be and do anything," she wrote in a tweet promoting the new Barbie.
The tennis star caused a stir in recent weeks, after withdrawing from the French Open amid scrutiny that arose when she announced her decision to skip press conferences at the event in a bid to protect her own mental wellbeing. She was subsequently fined $15,000, but her actions drew widespread support. She unintentionally became the face of mental health, a role she opened up about last week in an essay for Time magazine.
"It has become apparent to me that literally everyone either suffers from issues related to their mental health or knows someone who does," she wrote. "The number of messages I received from such a vast cross section of people confirms that. I think we can almost universally agree that each of us is a human being and subject to feelings and emotions."
Osaka went on to explain that she did not want to endure the scrutiny she experienced regarding her medical history, and her decision to take a break from press conferences, ever again, and requested that the press provide her with privacy and empathy.
"Believe it or not, I am naturally introverted and do not court the spotlight. I always try to push myself to speak up for what I believe to be right, but that often comes at a cost of great anxiety," she wrote.
"I feel uncomfortable being the spokesperson or face of athlete mental health as it’s still so new to me and I don’t have all the answers," Osaka continued. "I do hope that people can relate and understand it’s O.K. to not be O.K., and it’s O.K. to talk about it. There are people who can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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