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| Image borrowed from www.mcfarlanes-figures.com |
The presents are unwrapped, the stockings are down, the family obligations are out of the way. I officially declare Moonbeam's first Christmas (and our first Christmas as a family) to be a huge success. We tried not to go overboard on gifts for her and I think our choice was wise ... she seems to be getting the greatest joy out of the multicoloured balls we got her for a whopping $4. Those, and the red ribbon tied to her toboggan. And she's already eaten part of the spine on her new board book, so I'm glad that I saved my money and went for a cheap edition of that one too.
There was one thing that I did try and find for Moonbeam that I wasn't able to locate ... a doll. She has a couple little hand-me-down dolls that she loves to kiss and hold, as well as one of the "B.ab'y's F.irst" dolls which she likes too. But I was looking for a doll that wasn't, well, white... one that didn't have the telltale blond hair, blue eyes and pale complexion that fill her current doll collection. I wanted something a little more real - a little doll to kiss, hug and hold that looks like something other than a mirror image of herself (Moonbeam is as Caucasian as they come). I think it's important that she develop racial acceptance starting now and I thought that this would be a perfect thing to complete the set of gifts we got for her.
I went to a mega toy retailer with the certainty that I would find a doll that fit my expectations - I did, after all, only have one specific criterion (i.e. a doll of any ethnicity other than Caucasian). Amidst the crowds of people, I found my way to the doll section where I was greeted by other women looking to purchase a doll for a little person in their own lives. Not all the women were Caucasian ... in fact, most weren't. There were African women, Asian women, Indian women and First Nation women. And guess how many dolls that I found that weren't white? Zero.
Zero dolls representing origins other than good ole' white people. I was shocked.
How can the little kids in our lives feel ok with who they are and what they look like if they can't even play with toys that look like themselves? How can we expect our kids to be loving and accepting of children who are different than they are if they don't have the benefit of learning these attitudes and behaviours through play? I just assumed that there would be dolls of every shape and colour readily available for purchase at the standard toy stores, but sadly I was wrong. It really makes me angry that little girls and boys are expected to play with little toy babies that only come in one race. It indicates to me that there is something grossly wrong with how we start shaping the self-images of our kids and that society seems to be ok with it.
I agree, the doll selection in the normal stores is smallish. Google is the perfect tool for this, e.g. "African american dolls" picture search gives many many results. I am not sure at which age children start paying attention to ethnicity but I have a feeling that my three-year-old hasn't yet started. So, I am sure you're not late with this.
ReplyDeleteI've found the independent toy stores to be more mindful of stocking a diverse set of toys (maybe because shelf space in their store is at a premium?). And, if you're willing to pay an arm and a leg, American Girl dolls. The one thing I will say for them is that in 80% of cases, there is a doll out there that looks like your child. I say 80% because I know people who can't find one that matches their child's skin, hair, and eye colour to a T. But still, the Just Like Me dolls at least fulfill a lot of me-ness, if the person can afford the astronomical prices.
ReplyDeleteI commend you for being cognizant of this and looking to broaden your daughter's horizons. It is sad that this is the norm and that few people seem upset by it. One of the major studies that helped fight against the "separate but equal" notion had preschool-aged children choosing dolls to play with and studying their reactions. They found that even at this age, both caucasian and african american children (no other ethnicities were represented at this point) showed a negative impression towards the black dolls.
ReplyDeleteThat really is quite shocking, and very sad.
ReplyDeleteThis is really terrible. While I am sure that the above commenters are right that online or in speciality stores you can find all manner of dolls in all colours, it's still a sad reflection of how the mainstream treats difference of any kind (i.e. not at all). I think it's great that you're trying to break this trend for Moonbeam early on. I am already worried about the crazy degree of gender conditioning that comes with toys, clothes, EVERYTHING...I hadn't even considered the ethic diversity thing yet. However, given that we still have the dream of one day adding to our family through (likely international) adoption, this is so important too. It makes me angry that such things should be considered 'speciality' items at all!
ReplyDeleteOther than Princess Tiana and Doc McStuffins, I've only ever been able to find brown-skinned dolls online. I've ordered from Dollslikeme.com and from Amazon.com. We have a plethora of brown-skinned dolls, even 3 boys.
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