A young woman born with a curved spine said she wishes she'd had the new Barbie doll with scoliosis as a girl. Describing her childhood, Alis Kingston said she "looked at my wonky body in the mirror and felt quite insecure".
The now 20-year-old was diagnosed with scoliosis - a curvature of the spine which often occurs during a growth spurt before puberty - as a teenager. Her little sister Holi, now 17, also had the condition, and both had radical, life-changing treatment to pull their spines into place.
Mattel, the makers of Barbie, this week introduced its first-ever doll with scoliosis - Chelsea, who is Barbie’s little sister, who has a removable back brace. Alis said the doll would have made all the difference to her growing up.
