Black Barbie seeks to represent black girls beyond what society is used to seeing.
On July 21st, the long-awaited barbie A movie will be released that will bring back many memories of girlhood. But what does Barbie mean to black women who were once “black girls”?
I first encountered Janet and other Barbie dolls when I was a little girl in the 90s. My childhood included friendships with people whose backgrounds, beliefs, and customs were different from mine. Therefore, my mother made sure that the dolls I played with reflected the world in which I grew up. The power of expression brings about change.
Society underestimates Black Barbie’s image of Black girlhood.From Christie to Janet to Carla to Stacey to Nikki, Black Girl Barbie is the doll that embodies #BlackGirlMagic At its best.
First developed by Mattel in 1968 christie, with a focus on diversity and the equal rights movement. But she represented more than a black perspective on American life.
The image of Black Barbie allowed Black girls to imagine beyond their wildest dreams, embrace the power of girlhood, and feel at peace with defining their own femininity. . Most of all, it allowed them to escape society’s destructive narratives about black girlhood.
A black girl’s childhood innocence is stripped away at an early age.the study From Georgetown Law They found that black girls experience adultization bias starting at age 5, believing that adults need less protection and nurturing than their white peers. Stripping yourself of childhood innocence leads to low self-esteem.
Discovering self-identity and building self-esteem are fundamental pillars of early childhood development. This is difficult for black girls to achieve in a society that values Eurocentric ideas.
The infamous “doll test” Conducted by black psychologist Dr. Kenneth and Mamie Clark wanted to understand the influence of race on black children’s self-esteem. Their study revealed that participants considered white dolls to have more positive characteristics than black dolls, indicating negative self-esteem.
Knowing this, the proliferation of Black girls’ representation became critical to improving the self-esteem of Black girls across America.
Inspired by a Cinderella doll holding a brandy, 1997 movie, in my five-year-old hands, helped me see myself beyond society’s narrative. This doll expanded my imagination and led me to imagine that black girls like me deserve to be the center of attention in a fantasy story.This tradition continues to the present generation. Halle plays Ariel in the live animated film, little mermaid.
Over the years, Black Barbie has evolved from representing fantasy roles. honor black women And girls with various occupations and achievements.from hidden personKatherine Johnson to Olympic gymnast Gabby DouglasBlack Barbie attempts to present an image of a black girl that goes beyond what society represents.
As a pediatrician, I understand the impact racial representation has on the self-esteem of Black girls. “The development of a positive racial self-identity has been found to be a protective factor against internalization of racism.” According to the Pediatric Journal.
In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recognized the importance of: Tackling racism This is essential to providing comprehensive health care to children and adolescents. According to the AAP, “The social environment in which children grow up determines their development, and pediatricians are well-equipped to prevent and respond to environmental conditions that compromise children’s health.”
As a Black pediatrician, I understand my role in helping to address representative images of Black girls in serving and advocating for their medical needs.
As a medical student, I shared: story About my natural hair journey and the struggles Black women face when choosing to wear their natural hair to medical school interviews. Writing this article began a journey to help others embrace natural hair within medicine and medical education.
As I imagined myself as more than just my hair, I became an advocate against natural hair discrimination in medical settings. This experience grew out of my positive relationship with my black Barbie doll and shaped my personality as a doctor.
The politics surrounding the acceptance of natural hair in the medical profession, the world, and the workplace inspired me to write and advocate for the passage of the CROWN Act. The law aims to “dismantle structural racism in health care by recognizing intolerance of natural hairstyles and cultural headwear.”a form of racial, ethnic, or religious discrimination,” and later Adopted by the American Medical Association In 2022.
Then again, what does Black Barbie mean to a Black woman who was once a Black girl?
She reminds me that expression doesn’t always come in human form. Sometimes, it’s the dolls that allow us to embrace creativity, dreams, and imagination far beyond what society believes we are capable of…all in pink stiletto heels.
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