If you have a little girl who is "of color", question about dolls?

Question

If you are black, hispanic, E. Indian, african, etc. and have a little girl do you find it necessary to buy ONLY ethnic looking dolls for them? I'm black and my 3 yo daughter is half black and half E. Indian so her color looks like a black girl. I grew up playing with black, white and brownish colored dolls and had no problem with it. To me a doll is a doll and that's how I think little girls see it too. However, my husband who is black thinks she absolutely HAS TO HAVE a black doll. We had an argument in the middle of Toys 'R Us on Saturday because they had ALL white dolls and NO black dolls. And to my embarassment he even got a stock guy to get up on a latter to look on the top shelves for a black doll. She has 2 or 3 black dolls & 1 white one which she picked out herself so it's not like she even cares to find one that looks remotely close to her. I don't give a flying fig what color she gets but he seems to think she'll suffer some identity crisis if she plays with white ones.

Answer 1

My husbands granddaughter (who is 8 y/o) is mixed race (black and white) and she plays with all kinds of dolls. She has black dolls, Hispanic dolls, and white dolls. She loves those Bratz dolls the best. I don't think it has anything to do with the color of the doll, just that it's a doll. I think your husband is the one with the issue here. Yes, I think ALL kids (no matter what their color/race) should know of their heritage and background. But I don't think what color doll they played with as a kid is what's going to teach it to them. If he wants to instill a pride in her race, then he needs to teach her about her background. By him showing the preference in color of a doll, the only thing he's teaching her is that one color is more important than another, and we have WAY too much of that here as it is. He needs to teach her that all people are important no matter what their color/race. I wish you the best of luck in this & God bless.

Answer 2

Most "Doll Commercials" you see are basically advertising the Caucasian version, such as "Barbie",although there are several ethnic versions of the doll.
Once upon a time,Dolls were not produced in African American, Hispanic,and Japanese versions,and there was no choice,but to purchase the Caucasian versions,but now that there are Dolls of many ethnic groups,little girls from all over the world can now have their own little "person" to identify with. I think this is important when it comes to their identity.
The "Bratz" collection is multi-cultured. You will also find the Light-skin African American Bratz as well as the Dark-Skin,Hispanic,and Japanese versions. See if she may want a Bratz Doll,and explain to her how important it is to have a Doll that's most important to own heritage.

Answer 3

What a great question!

I think it's great to have dolls that reflect your heritage, and I think it's crazy that Toys R Us did not have any black dolls! However, to only have ONE of all color seems very exclusionary. So, basically I think you are right and your husband is wrong. :)

I have boys, but I did buy my oldest a black doll. If I had girls, I would include a whole range of colors. I think more Caucasian people should do that too!

Answer 4

I am a Caucasian when I was little I had dolls all races and I live in a country where is not usual to see African American or Indian etc. I today I have no problems with other races. I think that child doesn`t notice that kind of things.

Answer 5

I sympathize with your husband's position on this, but I think ultimately what matters is what kind of doll your daughter wants. If she only wanted white dolls that would be really sad because it means the mainstream culture has already "gotten to her" with the message that white is the best or normal. If you have a choice, get her a doll that looks like her. If she likes all kinds of dolls then go ahead with that. I believe there is an African American doll in the American Girl series that is quite attractive.

Answer 6

Little girls do not think about things like that! That is an adult issue! She should play with all kinds of dolls. It will teach her that everyone is equal. If your husband wants her to be in tune with her ethnicity, you should talk to her about your families and traditions. Dolls are just toys. Good Luck! You sound like a great parent!

Answer 7

They're assuming that all little girls are alike when they do that. I never played with dolls much and neither did my daughters. They got toys that better suited their interests. I make it a point to avoid giving other little girls dolls unless I actually know that they like them. Otherwise, they will get a more neutral toy such as a book, a board game or a crafts kit.

Answer 8

My daughter is dutch and Swedish (AKA, she has porcelain white skin) but we have all color dolls for her. She loves playing with the ones whose eyes open (she doesn't care or notice if the eyes are blue or brown).
There was the sadly poignant documentary called "A Girl Like Me" that showed 21 black children choose attributes for black dolls and white dolls. It was sad and horrible. The girls attributed positive attributes to the white dolls and negative attributes to the black dolls and then realized which doll they looked more like.
I agree with you-- we have to be diverse in all that we do. I also agree with your husband-- we have to teach girls that negative and positive are not determined by skin color and the only way to do this is by letting her know just how wonderful all of her dolls are.
Check out the documentary, I listed it in the source

Answer 9

My daughter is 1/4 black and 1/2 Palestinian so her complexion is light brown. She loves white dolls with brown hair. She has some black ones and some "latin" looking ones, but she prefers the white ones.

Answer 10

Well, my daughters father is black and i always just get all kinds. Like the Bratz dolls. they have white, black, and hispanic. let her pick and mix it up a little. She will make all kinds of friends and that is a good way for her to prepare.