A Little Girl Gets A Doll That Looks Like Her
Should be the simplest thing in the world, right?
Well, this child was filled with joy at receiving a doll with natural hair and her happiness warmed my heart. But it's also sad that this isn't just an everyday thing that parents and children of all colors can take for granted.
Excerpt from the article below, which ought to be re-printed in the "Journal of Duh", as in "duh,yes" we need toys that showcase ALL of us as as beautiful. Even growing up as a brown-eyed, brown-haired White child, I was vaguely confused by all the blond, blue-eyed baby dolls out there. Everybody talked about how much I looked like my family, so I knew that my baby dolls should look like me, but they didn't and it bothered me.
Of course, adoption is also a reality for many children and that conversation is worth having. I also don't think that it's a bad thing for a child to have a multicultural collection of dolls. But for a Black child growing up in this country, the value of having a doll that reflects herself back accurately is critical.
"After doing some research, I learned that toys influence how kids think, act and see themselves. When little girls can’t find dolls that look like them, it negatively impacts their self-esteem. So that’s why I created the Curlfriends (Zoe, Gaïana and Marisol): the first Healthy Roots Dolls and the first dolls with natural hair that you can wash and style. We call it their curl power."
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