So I'm reading up on the black Barbie collection just released by Mattel. There are people actually complaining that the Barbie is not black enough! These same people are saying she needs to have more natural hair or braids. Are we kidding here? I can count on one hand how many black women I know who wear their hair naturally. Better yet, most of the black women I know wear damn wigs or weave!!! I think all these ultra Afrocentric people need to give it a rest. Barbie has NEVER...EVER...EVER...been about representing a natural beauty...EVER. She's never really been fat. She's never been ugly. Barbie is a TOY. Get over it. If Mattel were to make her look like a Pamela Anderson amputee, that's their business. When did we all get so politically correct? For all the haters of the new Black Barbie: If you don't like it, make your own damn doll!
If people are relying on dolls to teach self-respect and pride, there is something very wrong with that. Parents, let the little girls (or boys) play with the dolls they want and BE the example that you believe they should see. It's that simple.
For the record, I don't believe there is anything wrong with wigs, perms, tracks, weave, new growth, natural hair, or any other kind of hair. So get up out black Barbie's Kool-Aid and quit trippin'!
