Barbie has appeared to have come out in support of same-sex marriage.
In a post on Instagram, the company behind the best-selling doll shared a picture promoting its collaboration with fashion blogger, Aimee Song.
The post depicts two Barbie’s wearing matching t-shirts with the pro-marriage equality slogan “Love Wins” emblazoned on them.
The t-shirts are exact replicas of garments were released by Song to mark LGTBQ Pride month which falls in June. The proceeds of Song’s t-shirts go towards a non-profit which supports LGBTQ young people.
People were quick to respond to the post with positive messages. Some described Barbie as an “ally” to the LGBTQ community and others speculated on the toy's orientation.
One person wrote: “Such an inspiration! This goes to show that even femmes are bi!”
Jubilant supporters described the doll as a “BIcon” and “Bar-BI”.
A lot of people praised Barbie's manufacturer, Mattel, for taking a stance on a controversial issue.
One person said: “I love Barbie for this."
Another said: “Woah Barbie did something cool for once."
Song wrote on Instagram: “Me and @BarbieStyle supporting equal rights because #LOVEWINS.
"Or as some of you have speculated, maybe we’re secretly dating.”
Mattel has supported progressive causes over the past few years.
Earlier this year the company launched Sheroes a line of Barbies that celebrated female heroes who “break boundaries”. The range included film director Ava DuVernay, US gymnast, Gabby Douglas and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammed, whose doll was the first Barbie to wear a hijab.
In 2016 Mattel released a range of the doll with various different body types, hair and faces.
The company said that it hoped that the range would promote a healthy body image and would enable girls to “find a doll that speaks to them”.
The Standars has contacted Mattel for further comment.
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