Imagine a world where everywhere you go, your every encounter, every experience, even those of which you are not conscious of yourself, are reaffirmed by?a positive?image. Understanding the power?non-verbal communication?has on the brain, stop and reflect for just one moment on the metaphysical impact existing in a world as this would have on?you as a human spirit.
There are different definitions of the word “image,” but the one I find most profound is the psychological one: a mental representation of something previously perceived, in the absence of the original stimulus.
If a doll is?representative of a human being and all of its features, eye color, hair and skin color are?therefore reflective of us, but what, then, does the image of a blue-eyed, blonde hair, white-complexioned doll have on little black girls? When a black girl plays with dolls that do not resemble her, her mother, or any of the people in her life who also look like her, not only is her self image compromised but her self worth, as well.? When young black girls?are not able to?see images of themselves there is an unspoken message sent to them that they don’t exist.? There is an unspoken message sent that their brown skin, their eye color, their hair is not only not worthy of representation, but is somehow flawed.
In?the recent documentary, “Why Do You Have Black Dolls?,” Samantha Knowles?conveys the importance of growing up playing with black dolls as a young?African-American girl in a predominantly white environment. The documentary came about as a result of that very question that was asked of her as a young girl by one of her friends.
My parents made sure to get us a lot of black dolls in a wide variety of hues and shapes. We didn’t have exclusively black dolls, but we had mostly black dolls. After I started working on the film, I had a lot of conversations with my mom, and she would say, ‘Oh, you don’t know what I had to go through to get some of those dolls!’
Today?African-American mothers do not experience the same difficulties?Knowles’ mother encountered finding black dolls. There are?exclusively black doll makers as well as major toy retailers that manufacture black dolls. However, author and doll collector Debbie Behan Garrett says there?still exists a shortage, as well as variety.
The black dolls manufactured today have gotten lighter in complexion, and I think the toy companies are trying to create a one-size-fits-all as far as reaching the African American market, the Hispanic market, and the biracial market.
It is this very reason in the past that led Blacks to begin making their own dolls, dolls that are a truer representation of African-Americans, dolls such as?those manufactured by Shindana Toys in the late 1960’s. Shindana Toys was created with the?intent purpose of producing black dolls that reflected the likeness and image of African-Americans.
Images have a permeating effect on the brain, so much so scientists have invested hours in researching its impact. Companies and marketing firms invest millions every year?constructing?images to persuade and convince us what we should look like, wear, drive and eat. Those of us who clearly understand the power of images are able to recognize, and even when necessary sometimes, guard our minds and resist harmful images. Less developed minds, such as that of a child,?are not so adept.
The mind of an innocent 3 year old, 7 year old or even 11 year old girl who hasn’t a clue of the plethora of unspoken messages her brain is receiving every time she picks up?a doll and plays with it is left completely exposed and vulnerable. Dolls represent to little girls what and who they want to look like. They represent how little girls envision themselves, even if they are not consciously aware of it, and for little brown-skinned girls, having a doll that is a reflection of what they see every day when they look in the mirror instills pride in them and reaffirms their self identity.
Edited by DH.
