A few weeks ago, my mom went shopping for a Christmas gift for a very young cousin of mine. This cousin is very fond of dolls, so my mom set out on what should have been a completely unremarkable, straightforward mission.
It started out that way. She had only to drive to the nearest Toys "R" Us and follow the hot pink glow to its source.
But when she arrived at the doll aisle, she was disturbed by what she found.
"Do you know what dolls look like?" she asked me the next day.
"Um," I said. "Is this a trick question?"
"Do you remember what they look like?" We hadn't spent time in the doll section since I was 10 or so.
"OK," I said, playing along, "There are two basic types: baby and Barbie."
This was the thing that caught her off guard. Almost every doll she saw was blond. A few were brunettes, and even fewer could be identified as anything other than Caucasian. The ones that weren't babies looked like they were about to go clubbing. They were all trying to seduce some non-existent male doll (let's hope it wasn't the popular Justin Bieber doll). Their breasts were very prominent, and very perky.
It used to be that way, too. When I was very young, Mom bought me Barbie-sized dolls with small breasts and proportional eyes and flat feet. She found baby boy dolls. She must've worked pretty hard at it. I wanted dolls, and I had them, but they didn't look the ones my friends had. I preferred brown hair, anyway.
The thing is, nothing has changed.
"Something must have changed," I said. I mean, I've seen a few black and Latina Barbies, and kind of get the sense that toy companies might be trying to be more inclusive. Maybe I just spent too much doll-time with American Girl, which makes a huge effort to go beyond blond.
"Well, you were at Toys 'R' Us," I said.
She told me that she'd gone to three more toy stores after it. She was indignant and determined. One of the stores was in a majority black area. But the dolls stayed blond.
And beyond that, there were no science kits in the girl section of any of the stores. She had to go to the boy section to find those. And when she found them, they featured oozing slime and pictures of "mad scientists."
"Science is actually fun," she said, a little defensively. "Why do they think they have to make it gross so it will be interesting?"
Why do they think they have to make dolls white and blond to make them interesting? Personally, I'm bored just thinking about the way these dolls look.
But I'm anything but bored by the fact that they dominate the market.
So what did my little cousin end up with?
"I got her a plastic horse." Girls love horses, too, right? It came with a rider doll. "She looked normal," said mom. "She didn't have those big breasts." Well, that's something.
Note: I went to the Toys "R" Us website, and they have a search category called "ethnic dolls." So maybe shopping online is always the better option?
Additional note: I know this is pushing it, but I'd like to see a doll with really, really dark skin, and more recognizably ethnic features. Or an Asian doll. A Korean-American doll... A Guatemalan-American doll... I'm just fantasizing now.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.