Mattel Sells Out Of 'Game Developer Barbie' (cnet.com)

Long-time Slashdot reader sandbagger writes: The Mattel people have released a new Barbie doll figurine touted as Game Developer Barbie. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, she was apparently designed by a game developer.
It's already sold out on Mattel's web site, with CNET saying it provides a better role model than a 2014 book In which "computer engineer" Barbie designed a cute game about puppies, then admitted "I'll need Steven's and Brian's help to turn it into a real game," before her laptop crashed with a virus. Mattel says that with this new doll, "young techies can play out the creative fun of this exciting profession," and the doll even comes with a laptop showing an IDE on the screen. Sandbagger's original submission ended with a question. Do Slashdot readers think this will inspire a new generation of programmers to stay up late writing code?

Comments

Re:STEM

[BitZtream]

Why?

Other than someone says 'we need more women in STEM', why do we ACTUALLY NEED more women in STEM?

Put your SJW bullshit aside and actually in a objective and factual way describe to me why we NEED more women in STEM.

WOMEN DON'T FUCKING LIKE STEM STOP TRYING TO IMPLY YOU KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO DO AND FUCK OFF. Women are more than capable of taking over any industry that want to take over, its happened countless times and there are large swaths of women dominated professions.

We need more women garbage men too, but you aren't fucking whining about that are you? More women in STEM is not going to get you laid or fix your social issues that prevent you from getting a date.

Will it work?

[Ol Olsoc]

Only if the regular Barbie actually causes women to become bulimic.

Are female programmers the only women who wear jeans and t-shirts? That is what makes a person a programmer?

First off, we need to realize that not all that many men are into programming. Long hours, so-so pay, especially considering the hours. And zero social prospects. A real niche group.

I can see the stories now.......

Barbie eats cold pizza at 2 in the morning while trying to clean up some code for Friday's big rollout.

Barbie gets told to do duty at the IT help desk because "You know computers and stuff, right?!"

Barbie gets to wear her blue jeans and shirt at work the couple weeks she would have been at the beach because her vacation was cancelled so she can clean up some shitty code that the guy who up and quit left, and they gotta meet Friday's deadline.

This is not a field for many people - male or female. Finally, are young females so shallow that a little plastic doll's clothing can determine their choice of careers?

If so, that is what needs worked on, not putting a plastic doll in a t-shirt and bluejeans.

Re:STEM

[Anonymous Coward]

This is just more of the "diversity" bullshit.

Hiring women gets you nothing. Hiring minorities gets you nothing, Hiring skilled and well qualified PEOPLE will make your company better. Demanding the hiring of more women, more minorities, etc. is nothing more than judging people by their race and gender, which is what we're supposedly trying to get away from.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re: STEM

[ShieldW0lf]

If I already have all the money, and all the men are already heeding my wishes and obeying my commands, where is there left to go?

The answer is, get the women into the workforce, where I can exploit them as well.

Do you get it now?

Re:STEM

[lgw]

Cliff's Notes version is: more H1-B visas = downward pressure on tech wages, as Sanjay in Hyderabad does your job for pennies on the dollar

I see this a lot, and it's deeply stupid even by /. standards (and racist besides). Even the very dim should be able to understand that if Sanjay is in Hyderabad then he's not in the fucking US on a visa, is he? Offering Sanjay an H1-B means he now has to pay to live in the US, and he now makes a higher wage and removes some downward wage pressure. Sanjay of course is no dummy, so he's going to get a Green Card as fast as he possibly can, at which point he just another American tech worker, same as anyone else.