Mattel is referring to the redesign as a Millennium Makeover the popular fashion doll.

The new Barbie will be unveiled during Toy Fair next week.

Jewel Girl, due out in August, will be the first Barbie to sport a midsection material that allows much more human, natural movement, says Barbie marketing executive Anne Parducci.

''It looks almost like skin and has a soft, fleshy feel,'' she says. ''Bend her over and she gets a little bit of a (paunch).''

The reasoning behind the new look is apparently that more and more popular girl's fashions reveal the midriff and the current Barbie's midriff is not the most attractive abdomen a doll could have - so her midsection got a makeover.

[Updated 2/10/2000]