Tolu Coker<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n\n It\u2019s emblematic in some ways of Kelly\u2019s personal style, which tends to switch between high glamour and laidback separates. \u201cI was drawn to the shape and structure of the outfit and going with something that I\u2019m comfortable with \u2013 quite casual but also cool,\u201d Kelly said.\n <\/p>\n
\n Running now for a decade, Barbie\u2019s role model initiative is aimed at championing women who \u201cbrought their dreams to life\u201d and \u201cwere the first to break boundaries,\u201d according to the dollmaker.\n <\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s part of Barbie-owner Mattel\u2019s efforts to move away from a narrow, singular image of beauty (blonde, blue-eyed and extreme hourglass figure) to creating a more inclusive reflection of the world. Today, the famous doll comes in various body types, skin tones, hair textures and physical abilities. Yet despite Mattel\u2019s widening representation, sometimes there\u2019s no storytelling more powerful than the hardships and accomplishments of a real person. And over the years, Barbie has lent its role model status to stars closely entwined with pop culture, such as Kylie Minogue, Helen Mirren, Shania Twain and Viola Davis.\n <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barbie-chloekelly-1902260603.jpg\")
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\n Sports is an arena that Barbie has been increasingly making inroads into. To promote body positivity and strength, Mattel has made replica dolls of groundbreaking athletes including the basketball player Sue Bird, tennis star Venus Williams, boxer Estelle Mossely, swimmer Federica Pellegrini, track and field sprinter Ewa Swoboda; and rugby players Ilona Maher, Ellie Kildunne, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Nassira Konde. In more recent years, Barbie has also focused on celebrating the sometimes less-celebrated roles in sports, such as coaches, managers, trainers, reporters and mentors.\n <\/p>\n
\n Kelly is a sportsperson \u2013 but she also stands for something more. Not only has she achieved tremendous success at a young age (she made her professional debut at 17), but she has also cultivated an engaged fanbase by serving as an advocate for girls\u2019 grassroots soccer. These accomplishments are significant considering that women in the UK were once restricted from playing football, as it is known here, with the Football Association claiming that the sport was \u201cunsuitable\u201d for women\u2019s health. A 50-year ban, lasting from 1921 to 1971, meant that women were not only unable to compete professionally, but those who wanted to play recreationally were relegated to public parks and smaller venues.\n <\/p>\n
\n For Kelly, it means being the face of a sport that her mother\u2019s generation would have had limited means to engage in. \u201cSeeing football and Barbie, two worlds colliding, it shows to younger girls that we can do both,\u201d said Kelly, who returned to Arsenal from Manchester City, first on loan in January 2025, and then on a permanent basis by the summer. During that time, Arsenal \u2013 viewed as the underdogs in the Women\u2019s Champions League final against Barcelona \u2013 claimed their first European trophy in 18 years. By July that year, Kelly, this time playing for England, famously scored that penalty against Spain in the Euros final, securing the Lionesses their second Euros title in a row. \u201cI\u2019m proud to have been in many special teams in my career, and to win huge tournaments and trophies,\u201d she said before adding with a grin: \u201cI have my goal set on winning many more.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
![\"Chloe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gettyimages-2239824349.jpg\")
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\n Today, young women\u2019s participation in soccer is experiencing a historic surge, and widespread interest is also growing around female players. Just look at England captain Leah Williamson, who in January signed with talent agency, Fivethree, which typically represents musicians like Olivia Dean and Sam Smith \u2013 indicating that we may just be on the cusp of an accelerated transformation in the sport. Stadium attendances and online viewership are surging, commercial investment is increasing, and new opportunities seem to be emerging across every corner of the game.\n <\/p>\n
\n Since returning from the winter break, Arsenal have won eight of their ten fixtures (losing just one and being tied in another), while also becoming the first-ever winner of the new FIFA Women\u2019s Champions Cup in February. \u201cI\u2019m feeling really good,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cOf course, our eyes are set on Oslo (where the Champions League final will take place) in the summer, but we have to play Chelsea first and beat them, so we\u2019re going to be ready for that test.\u201d\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"London \u00a0\u2014\u00a0 Soccer star Chloe Kelly plays as a forward for Arsenal, the Women\u2019s Super League club in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":515725,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":["post-515724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/515725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Denim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gettyimages-2262548231.jpg\")
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