In a proxy statement dated April 3 from the company responsible for Barbie, mentions of initiatives or resources related to “diversity” or “ethnicity” were notably absent, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Shortly after assuming office as the 47th President of the United States, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to cease Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices in federal agencies and urged businesses in the private sector to do the same.
In a statement to the outlet, Mattel said that “inclusion is part of our DNA.”
Mattel, the renowned toymaker behind Barbie and with significant aspirations in the film industry, has decided to step back from providing disclosures on diversity, equity, and inclusion to its investors.
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 8, 2025
“We foster an environment that attracts incredibly talented people and a culture of respect and belonging that we’re very proud of, which benefits our business and consumers,” the company added. “As it relates to our products and experiences, play is our language, and we speak to our consumers authentically by representing the world as they see and imagine it.”
The comments stood in stark contrast to what the company, with major movie plans, released ahead of the shareholders meeting in 2024 — when DEI was front and center.
As indicated, investors at the time were told that Mattel aspired to “increase representation of ethnicity at all levels of the organization” and that it planned to boost collaboration between “underrepresented identities” across the company.
“At Mattel, we are committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and actively supporting the communities in which we live, work, and play,” it added in the 2024 filing. “Our aim is to contribute to a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future.”
The statement at the time also pointed to its board’s demographics, noting how 30 percent of nominees were minorities. The 2025 report did not include this type of information, and noticeably absent in the statement was how many members of the board were women or minorities, the outlet added.
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Mattel follows other big companies like Target and Walmart who have actively backed down from DEI initiatives following Trump’s EO about ending DEI practices in America.
Target went from vowing to “embrace our belief in diversity and inclusion” to announcing that it would be “concluding our three-year diversity, equity and inclusion goals” and “concluding our Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives in 2025 as planned” after Trump’s EO.
