A few weeks ago I walked into Target late one night. Jonathan stayed home while Samantha slept and mom and I drove 15 minutes into town for the purpose of buying Samantha a vinyl baby doll. She received one with a cloth body for Christmas and it has become an issue because now that she loves it she wants to take it in the bath tub with her.
Anyway, we spent forty minutes in Target looking at dolls. Trying to find one that would work for a one year old and could go in the bath tub. The diversity was limited, but I couldn't seem to find the perfect doll either - until I caught sight of a waterbaby on a lower shelf. Perfect! I also had this baby doll as a child, so how awesome that they have brought it back. She was soft, no small parts, and light enough for a toddler. Yay! She was $20, which is a bit ridiculous, in my opinion, but if this is the doll she makes me drive back to the restaurant (because she loves her so) it's worth it, right?
One problem - the doll's skin color didn't match my child's. Now, while Samantha will have dolls of all shapes, sizes, colors, etc. I wanted the doll she slept with and the one she always carried around with her to be one that was black. So, I scoured the shelves, stooping low to see the very backs of each shelf. I took the doll to that red machine that told me there were none in the back. Boo! I pulled out my phone and looked online and yes, they had a black doll at Target.com. Underneath it said "only sold online" and underneath the white doll it said "only sold in stores." 😠
No parent was winning here. Especially me, who was in Target at 10pm looking for a doll that my baby could use during her next bath. I tweeted about it and joined in on a #diversedolls campaign with Tamara King and Erin Parker and other parents around the country asking Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us to step up their game.
All of that to say I was super excited to get this picture from Tamara the other night. I want my baby to live in a world where she is represented and she can see herself in the toy aisles at these big box retailers. I want her to think she is beautiful in her own skin. I want her to avoid some of the challenges I have faced with my own beauty. I want her to love her hair and her eye color and her nose and her hips - and the butt she is sure to inherit from her parents. Our work is not done - black and white waterbabies are great - but there are so many children who would love to see themselves represented by toy manufacturers. Representation is important and our children deserve it. #summerofsocialjustice