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There’s
a new
doll in
town:
Pretty
Brown
Girls
Doll
Launch
By M.
Binion
/Tell Us
Detroit
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det) -
There
have
been
many
variations
of the
landmark
Doll
Test
originally
conducted
by
Kenneth
and
Mamie
Clark in
which
they
reported
that
when
children
were
asked to
identify
which
doll
they
preferred
to play
with a
black or
a white
doll
many
young
African
American
children
reportedly
identified
with the
black
doll but
rather
chose to
play
with the
white
doll.
According
to the
study
this
selection
suggested
a lack
of
self-esteem
based on
societal
racism
and
though
there
are
articles
by
authors
such as
Gwen
Bergner
that
raise
questions
regarding
the
continued
validity
of these
studies
there
continues
to be
concern
that
many of
the
images
and
dolls
available
do not
foster
positive
images
for
African
American
children.
This was
the
concern
held by
Sheri
and
Corey
Crawley
who
recently
located
to
suburban
Michigan
from
suburban
Chicago.
While
visiting
a doll
store in
Chicago,
Sheri
noticed
that her
children
and
their
friends
were not
choosing
to play
with
brown
skinned
dolls
she
subsequently
discovered
the
store
had only
one
brown
skinned
doll
whose
character
was that
of a
freed
slave.
Sheri
and her
husband
began to
notice
changes
in their
young
daughters
while
attending
a school
in
Michigan
that had
few
African
American
students.
The
parents
noticed
behavior
that
indicated
their
girls
carefully
built
confidence
in
themselves
was
eroding.
Shari
began to
wonder
how to
help her
daughters.
There is
an old
adage
about
“necessity
being
the
mother
of
invention.”
Well,
this
mother
came up
with an
idea.
Sheri
decided
to use a
term of
endearment
and
encouragement
that her
husband
had
coined
to
reinforce
their
daughters’
self-worth
into a
business.
Last
year the
couple
established
Pretty
Brown
Girls
LLC.
The
company
aims to
encourage
little
girls to
enjoy
and
embrace
the
brown
skin
that
they are
in and
the
company
also
seeks to
educate
every
little
girl
that
brown
skin is
beautiful
To help
bolster
their
efforts,
the
company
is
bringing
“The
Pretty
Brown
Girl
Doll” to
the
marketplace
this
month.
The
company
also has
other
products
including
a
children’s
book
entitled
Pretty
Brown
Girl, My
First
Day of
School.
Beginning
this
month
the
company
also has
a global
initiative
called
“Empower
a Girl,
Empower
the
World.”
For
every
signature”
Pretty
Brown
Girl
Doll”
purchased,
a second
doll
will be
donated
to a
girl in
need of
encouragement.
For
further
information
about
the
company,
its
products
or the
initiative
contact
www.prettybrowngirl.com
REFERENCES
Bergner,
G..
(2009).
Black
Children,
White
Preference:
Brown v.
Board,
the Doll
Tests,
and the
Politics
of
Self-Esteem.
American
Quarterly,
61(2),
299-332,423.
Retrieved
July 15,
2012,
from
Research
Library.
(Document
ID:
1760316091).
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