HarlemLIVE

Mattel, Inc., the global toy manufacturer and creator of the Barbie Doll recently launched the "So In Style" dolls, a set of African-American dolls, who in doll-land, are Barbie’s friends.  With names such as, Grace, Kara and Trichelle, who are friends, and the three sisters, Kianna, Courtney and Janesa, the dolls reflect African-American skin tones, and features including broader noses, fuller lips, more distinctive cheek bones and curlier hair.  
Stacey McBride-Irby is the designer of the collection and has a five-year-old daughter. She is an African-American who has been designing dolls for Mattel for more than a decade and said she created the dolls to help Black girls embrace their heritage and culture.
Since the release of the new dolls, reviews from the public have been mixed. While the designer and manufacturer felt that the dolls were created to represent young Black girls, some people in the community said that the dolls may actually be degrading to young Black women.
“All black girls don't represent that," said 15-year-old Danielle Davidson commenting on the outfits the dolls are wearing, which included sneakers, ‘bling’ and short skirts.
"It's stereotypical" said 15-year-old Anasia. "Why can't we be seen in different ways?"
Other people who agree with Danielle and Anasia have said that it supports stereotypes that show Black girls in a negative light.
But, 22-year-old Jason Williams presented an opposing view when he said, "Dolls are stupid; you're supposed to dress them up. You put a race on it and take it to a different level."
Williams believes that the controversy over the Black dolls is being taken too seriously.
"What happened to the cabbage patch?" he asked.
However, he doesn't believe that there is any racist connotation with the dolls and that it's a good model for young Black girls to identify with because of the variations in skin color.
Agreeing with Williams on the point of skin color, Davidson said, "The dolls are meant for positivity."
But, what young girls need to realize is that they don’t need to look like a favorite star or a Barbie doll; they need to be themselves, being comfortable with themselves, and being true to the self is the route to happiness.