Like many young black girls, most of my dolls were white. It wasn’t necessarily by choice. Back then trying to find a black doll was a like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Once you found one, chances are the doll didn’t have naturally curly hair. The lack of diversity among dolls not only reflected society’s beauty standards, it also affect the way young black girls viewed themselves, including me.
These days you can easily find black dolls, but most of them still have straight hair. One Miami mom aims to change that by creating a naturally curly doll.
Angelica Sweeting realized that society’s standard of beauty has influenced the way she viewed herself as well. At 27 years old, the Miami mom says she’s beginning to appreciate her natural beauty, and is now on a mission to making sure other young girls feel beautiful too starting with her daughter, Sophia.
“Sophia wanted long straight hair, and she even started expressing a strong dislike for her facial features and skin tone,” Sweeting writes on her Kickstarter page.
As I mention on my BabyCenter blog, one of my favorite dolls, Kitty, was white. Her blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin were a stark contrast to my naturally curly black hair, brown eyes, and dark brown skin. I didn’t realize how having this doll could affect the way I felt about myself.
At such a young age, I never really understood the psychological effects of having a white doll. I saw the difference in appearance, but never thought of how it could affect my self esteem. I also wanted straight hair. I didn’t like my hard to comb kinky hair.
Now that I’m a mom, I want my daughter to have dolls that represent her and everyone as well. I think Angelica is the kind of doll all girls should have.
What makes her different from any other black doll I seen is her curly hair. You can style and wash her kinky/curly tresses just as you would natural hair. Her facial features resemble women of color. The doll also has interesting careers, exposing young girls to endless possibilities.
When I first read about Angelica, I thought about how it would help my daughter and other girls of color feel beautiful. But I also thought about white parents purchasing this doll for their white daughters to teach them about acceptance. Even though though we were all born with different skin, eyes, and hair color, we are all beautiful.
Can this Naturally Curly Doll Help Change Society’s Beauty Standards? Would you buy it?
