An article in the South Florida Times, “The Black Doll Collection goes on display in South Florida,” details an event called the Black Doll Affair (BDA). Designed to increase self-esteem in young African American girls, the event showcases black dolls from all over the world. Founder Dana Hill started the organization after watching Oprah’s segment on “self-image” where Kiri Davis discussed her 2005 documentary A Girl Like Me. Kiri reconstructed the iconic 1940s “Doll Test” experiment on twenty-one African American preschoolers in her community. The results were identical to the original study. Most of the children elected the white doll as “pretty and good” and black doll as “ugly and bad.” Time had not altered the skewed black identity in
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The Black Doll Affair is one possible solution to enhance a young female’s self-esteem. The article presents a compelling point: black females struggle with beauty inequality. No child needs to feel that they are inferior. Conversely, if beauty equals acceptance and love, then worth is only external. The Black Doll project may promote female stereotypes. The project seems to tackle self-esteem on the surface level and increases external self-acceptance in little black girls, but it doesn’t address internal issues. In the study, both African American boys and girls labeled the black doll as ugly and bad. What do the children mean when they call the black doll bad? The article and the Black Doll organization, the focus only on the beauty aspect, and lose the complete message in the documentary. Attraction, intelligence, compassion, and skills are only a few of the many attributes that contribute to self-esteem. Also, the project catered to only female preschoolers and excluded the boys who also suffer internal racism. On the official BDA website, the welcome page reads “You know that black and white doll test that black children failed miserably? Well, this is the solution created to solve that problem” (Black Doll Affair 2016). The negative and accusatory tone contradicts its supposed positive …show more content…
Positive Self-image leads to a more productive and positive adulthood. Many psychologists have generated plenty of research on the benefits of self-esteem as a self-worth gauge. When the self-image is threatened racial bias increases (Dewall &Meyer 599). Prejudice and internalized stigmas prolong psychological damage. Denial is easier with implicit than explicit racism, but a child absorbs the cultural tensions. If a child believes dark skin is ugly and bad, it 's because society taught the child this schema. The immorality of character based on skin color implies genetic and inflexible model of right and wrong. In the article, the documentary addresses internalized racism and its complexity but the solution fails to generate the same impact. The BDA movement is like using a Band-Aid to cure cancer. It misses the point of “internalized.” Still, the Black Doll affair makes an attempt to promote positivity. Silence solves nothing, the Black Doll Affair forces society to start a conversation. Coping with a self-image isn’t a ‘black problem,’ it’s a human problem. Every person struggles with self-esteem. In today’s age of cosmetic surgery, we slash, cut, sew, peel, inject, eject and break our bodies for society approval; we learn to be insecure. Internal racism is detrimental to the black community because a positive Black identity starts inward and strengthens with a supportive environment, if
The Black Doll Affair is one possible solution to enhance a young female’s self-esteem. The article presents a compelling point: black females struggle with beauty inequality. No child needs to feel that they are inferior. Conversely, if beauty equals acceptance and love, then worth is only external. The Black Doll project may promote female stereotypes. The project seems to tackle self-esteem on the surface level and increases external self-acceptance in little black girls, but it doesn’t address internal issues. In the study, both African American boys and girls labeled the black doll as ugly and bad. What do the children mean when they call the black doll bad? The article and the Black Doll organization, the focus only on the beauty aspect, and lose the complete message in the documentary. Attraction, intelligence, compassion, and skills are only a few of the many attributes that contribute to self-esteem. Also, the project catered to only female preschoolers and excluded the boys who also suffer internal racism. On the official BDA website, the welcome page reads “You know that black and white doll test that black children failed miserably? Well, this is the solution created to solve that problem” (Black Doll Affair 2016). The negative and accusatory tone contradicts its supposed positive …show more content…
Positive Self-image leads to a more productive and positive adulthood. Many psychologists have generated plenty of research on the benefits of self-esteem as a self-worth gauge. When the self-image is threatened racial bias increases (Dewall &Meyer 599). Prejudice and internalized stigmas prolong psychological damage. Denial is easier with implicit than explicit racism, but a child absorbs the cultural tensions. If a child believes dark skin is ugly and bad, it 's because society taught the child this schema. The immorality of character based on skin color implies genetic and inflexible model of right and wrong. In the article, the documentary addresses internalized racism and its complexity but the solution fails to generate the same impact. The BDA movement is like using a Band-Aid to cure cancer. It misses the point of “internalized.” Still, the Black Doll affair makes an attempt to promote positivity. Silence solves nothing, the Black Doll Affair forces society to start a conversation. Coping with a self-image isn’t a ‘black problem,’ it’s a human problem. Every person struggles with self-esteem. In today’s age of cosmetic surgery, we slash, cut, sew, peel, inject, eject and break our bodies for society approval; we learn to be insecure. Internal racism is detrimental to the black community because a positive Black identity starts inward and strengthens with a supportive environment, if