Some parents are saying Mattel's new line of black dolls, called "So in Style," isn't black enough, despite the company's efforts to gather input from a number of high-profile black women, Ann
Zimmerman reports. The criticism underscores how difficult it is for large commercial companies to please a widely diverse black community with a single image or two, she writes.
Five
of the six dolls feature fine-textured, waist-length hair; half of them have blue or green eyes. All have the skinny body of a traditional Barbie.
"I thought it was unfortunate that
once again we're given a doll with hair that is so unlike the vast majority of black women," says Cheryl Nelson-Grimes, the mother of a 7-year-old girl. But Stephanie Archer, a chapter vice president
of Mocha Moms, defends the dolls. "Mattel did a good job getting the facial features right," she says.
"These dolls are a much better representation than what has been in the
marketplace," says Mattel spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni. "But we hear the argument."
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at Wall Street Journal »