Ever since I was little, my absolute favorite outfit was a cute pink bikini that my mom bought me from Target. I used to love going to the beach and collecting shells, while strutting across the sandy floor. But that all changed when I turned five.

For my fifth birthday my grandma gave me a barbie doll which I quickly gave the name “Glitter.”

Whatever made five-year-old-me name someone Glitter is entirely beyond me, but Glitter was the definition of beauty. She had pretty long straight blond hair, a perfect body and tan skin.

She looked nothing like me. I had short curly brown hair that reminded me of dirt and pale skin that was a constant reminder that I couldn’t go outside for more than five minutes without needing sunscreen. Not to mention that I was also on the chubbier side; that made me relate more to Mr. Potato Head than to my idol: Glitter.

Despite Glitter being made of plastic, I quickly became jealous of her. Her slim waist and long legs complimented her pink bikini. Glitter made me feel huge in my bikini and while I didn’t even know how to count to one hundred, I knew that not looking like Barbie was a bad thing.

I quickly became insecure and refused to go to the beach. Despite not even knowing what self confidence was, Barbie ruined mine.

Ever since Glitter came into my life, I’ve been battling an on-going fight with my self esteem. To this day, I still can’t wear a bikini without feeling ashamed of my body.

But when I first learned last week that Mattel released new Barbies which included a “curvy” doll, I felt happy.

Mattel’s new collection of Barbie’s include tall, petite and curvy types. The collection also features multiple new hairstyles and new skin tones. This means that girls everywhere can have a doll that looks like them.

For the last three years, Mattel’s sales have been dropping. In 2014, Disney’s Frozen collection dethroned Mattel as the number one seller of girl toys, making Elsa the real queen. But Mattel didn’t let it go. According to a video by TIME, Mattel launched “Project Dawn” where Barbies would begin to represent women of all different shapes and sizes.

Girls no longer have to have a Glitter in their life that makes them feel ashamed or disappointed in their body.

After nearly two decades of Mattel ruining my body image, there’s finally a doll that looks like me.

I may be going off to  college but I will be first in line to buy the plus sized beauty.

Maybe I’ll name her Glitter 2.0.