Comments on: The Eye Colours of Black Dolls http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/ Reflections of a Human Sized World Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:36:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Linda http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-92247 Linda Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:51:10 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-92247 I think lavendar eyes are great! Let's have fun and fantasize. But let's not miss the point here!Black or Afrocentric beauty has not been embraced historically and still is not fully imbraced on a social/media level. To be more exact, Eurocentric beauty has been and still is considered the standard of beauty in many parts of the world. I am not saying Eurocentric features should not be attractive, but I am saying that it should not be considered the standard in an area that *should* be naturally subjective but sadly isn't. Instead, it is programmed and ingrained in our everyday life so much that many of us don't see it. And we don't see how it can affect our attitudes about things...even the eyes of brown barbie dolls. Some ideas of beauty are so ingrained in us, that even well- meaning people fail to realize it. So they say "why are you complaining about the lavendar or blue eyes on the brown barbie??" Or "My family has hazel eyes and we are colored so what is the big deal?" The big deal in my opinion is that we are promoting the idea that the less Afrocentric you are, the more beautiful. That is the core of the issue in my opinion. It's tricky because you don't want to come off as anti -Eurocentric, or anti "eye diversity". At the same time, you want to address the issue at the core. Having brown toned barbie dolls is great! But if we want to teach our little brown girls to accept themselves, we should accept real traits as well. To say brown eyes may be less marketable may be true..but that IS a symptom of the problem. Like being Afrocentric all-around is too dangerous. Like...if she is going to be brown skinned she needs to have colorful eyes at least! In the end, I think the blue, green, hazel eyes are not the "issue". It's the lack of brown eyes or the lack of prominence of brown eyes, considering black girls will have dark brown eyes over 90% of the time. WE should change societal attitudes and allow them to fall in love with themselves. Not teach them to love themselves, but still understand that they actually are not as good. These are just my 2 cents out of a hundred... Thanks for the topic! I think lavendar eyes are great! Let’s have fun and fantasize. But let’s not miss the point here!Black or Afrocentric beauty has not been embraced historically and still is not fully imbraced on a social/media level. To be more exact, Eurocentric beauty has been and still is considered the standard of beauty in many parts of the world. I am not saying Eurocentric features should not be attractive, but I am saying that it should not be considered the standard in an area that *should* be naturally subjective but sadly isn’t. Instead, it is programmed and ingrained in our everyday life so much that many of us don’t see it. And we don’t see how it can affect our attitudes about things…even the eyes of brown barbie dolls.

Some ideas of beauty are so ingrained in us, that even well- meaning people fail to realize it. So they say “why are you complaining about the lavendar or blue eyes on the brown barbie??” Or “My family has hazel eyes and we are colored so what is the big deal?”

The big deal in my opinion is that we are promoting the idea that the less Afrocentric you are, the more beautiful. That is the core of the issue in my opinion. It’s tricky because you don’t want to come off as anti -Eurocentric, or anti “eye diversity”. At the same time, you want to address the issue at the core. Having brown toned barbie dolls is great! But if we want to teach our little brown girls to accept themselves, we should accept real traits as well. To say brown eyes may be less marketable may be true..but that IS a symptom of the problem. Like being Afrocentric all-around is too dangerous. Like…if she is going to be brown skinned she needs to have colorful eyes at least!
In the end, I think the blue, green, hazel eyes are not the “issue”. It’s the lack of brown eyes or the lack of prominence of brown eyes, considering black girls will have dark brown eyes over 90% of the time. WE should change societal attitudes and allow them to fall in love with themselves. Not teach them to love themselves, but still understand that they actually are not as good.
These are just my 2 cents out of a hundred… Thanks for the topic!

]]> By: Linda http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-92244 Linda Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:31:11 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-92244 I am currently doing a powerpoint on self esteems for adolescent black females and was lucky to come across this site! This response that raved and ranted about Africans vs. African diaspora is so misleading! None of us can speak for a group as a whole, but I can deifnitely say that "these issues" addressed in the blog or atleast the concept of sufficient and accurate representation of one's image (be it barbie, or beauty in general) affects people of all backgrounds. And Sub-Saharan Africans are no different (yep lumping them all in) Little indigenus, black African girls can benefit from informational blogs like this, because their parents can gain access to dolls that look like their kids. When I grew up in Cameroon..I surely enjoyed my dolls and was puzzled when my uncle got me a white one!! Image matters, representation matters and you can't try to claim that "these black minorities in America" are the only ones "worrying" about these things. Regardless of where you are from or what racial, social, economic, academic etc etc group you identify with, you shouldn't put another group down to uplift yourself. And you shouldn't attack harmless, informational mediums like this to make a point that isn't appropriate or accurate. Also, you can be proud of who you are but acknowledge that there are attitudes in society that don't reflect your esteem or the esteem you feel other more vulnerable people experience. I am a first generation Cameroonian American. I am proud to be black, proud to be African and proud to be me period. But I also acknowledge that there are attitudes in society that we have to address! I am currently doing a powerpoint on self esteems for adolescent black females and was lucky to come across this site! This response that raved and ranted about Africans vs. African diaspora is so misleading! None of us can speak for a group as a whole, but I can deifnitely say that “these issues” addressed in the blog or atleast the concept of sufficient and accurate representation of one’s image (be it barbie, or beauty in general) affects people of all backgrounds. And Sub-Saharan Africans are no different (yep lumping them all in) Little indigenus, black African girls can benefit from informational blogs like this, because their parents can gain access to dolls that look like their kids. When I grew up in Cameroon..I surely enjoyed my dolls and was puzzled when my uncle got me a white one!! Image matters, representation matters and you can’t try to claim that “these black minorities in America” are the only ones “worrying” about these things.
Regardless of where you are from or what racial, social, economic, academic etc etc group you identify with, you shouldn’t put another group down to uplift yourself. And you shouldn’t attack harmless, informational mediums like this to make a point that isn’t appropriate or accurate.
Also, you can be proud of who you are but acknowledge that there are attitudes in society that don’t reflect your esteem or the esteem you feel other more vulnerable people experience. I am a first generation Cameroonian American. I am proud to be black, proud to be African and proud to be me period. But I also acknowledge that there are attitudes in society that we have to address!

]]> By: Kristl http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-38424 Kristl Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:09:38 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-38424 btw - I don' t mind purple eyes and pink hair, fairy wings and sparkly legs that light up. But that isn't what we are talking about. btw – I don’ t mind purple eyes and pink hair, fairy wings and sparkly legs that light up. But that isn’t what we are talking about.

]]> By: Kristl http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-38423 Kristl Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:08:32 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-38423 I have a mixed race niece with gorgeous green/hazel eyes. When I was pregnant with my mixed race baby a lot of people told me how nice it would be if she ended up with blue eyes like me (even my husband said this - OFTEN). I did not like them saying that. Most of the world has Ebony eyes. Not brown eyes - Ebony eyes. 99.9% of Asians, 99.9% of the African Continent, 99.8% of South America, 99.8% of India - you get the idea. I want my daughter's dolls to celebrate her beautiful brown skin and her beautiful dark hair and her gorgeous Ebony Eyes. My solution? Sharpie marker. But I do think it's very important for us to complain. So thanks - and as for HVH - he's the same guy who goes all over the web looking for an outlet for his racism by saying crazy things on Obama news stories etc. He's 100% irrelevant to this discussion. He doesn't own a single doll so his opinion is irrelevant. I have a mixed race niece with gorgeous green/hazel eyes. When I was pregnant with my mixed race baby a lot of people told me how nice it would be if she ended up with blue eyes like me (even my husband said this – OFTEN).

I did not like them saying that. Most of the world has Ebony eyes. Not brown eyes – Ebony eyes. 99.9% of Asians, 99.9% of the African Continent, 99.8% of South America, 99.8% of India – you get the idea.

I want my daughter’s dolls to celebrate her beautiful brown skin and her beautiful dark hair and her gorgeous Ebony Eyes.

My solution? Sharpie marker. But I do think it’s very important for us to complain. So thanks – and as for HVH – he’s the same guy who goes all over the web looking for an outlet for his racism by saying crazy things on Obama news stories etc. He’s 100% irrelevant to this discussion. He doesn’t own a single doll so his opinion is irrelevant.

]]> By: Justin Jackson http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-8728 Justin Jackson Sun, 22 Aug 2010 04:20:13 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-8728 The gentlemen Heindrich Von Hochenbereger was partially right about how African Americans get caught up in such trivial things such as eye color, skin color, and hair texture. I'm Trinidadian and African-American and it is such a big deal for people here, when I visit my family over seas there are no boxes one has to fit into. furthermore it is a doll a fantasy, a vision translated into plastic for collectors. I like to collect unique fashion dolls and I love the European dolls with brunette hair, dark African, and Asian, they represent the variety of beauty in each and every human being. I also get where my other collectors are coming from due to the history of this nation and even now color is still a huge issue , so I get it, but I think we should just move on and enjoy these beauties. Love for us all :) The gentlemen Heindrich Von Hochenbereger was partially right about how African Americans get caught up in such trivial things such as eye color, skin color, and hair texture. I’m Trinidadian and African-American and it is such a big deal for people here, when I visit my family over seas there are no boxes one has to fit into. furthermore it is a doll a fantasy, a vision translated into plastic for collectors. I like to collect unique fashion dolls and I love the European dolls with brunette hair, dark African, and Asian, they represent the variety of beauty in each and every human being. I also get where my other collectors are coming from due to the history of this nation and even now color is still a huge issue , so I get it, but I think we should just move on and enjoy these beauties. Love for us all :)

]]> By: Seamstressy http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-4802 Seamstressy Sun, 16 May 2010 23:54:17 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-4802 When I was little, I enjoyed gazing into the purple eyes of my pale-skinned Barbie. I don't think there's anything wrong with a bit of fantasy, and it's nice that the darker-skinned Barbies can have fun eye colours too :) I agree that it is unusual to see playline dolls with chocolate brown eyes - from any brand of doll. I recently bought one of the Fashionista dolls (Sporty) to be a Barbie version of myself. She came with exotic and beautiful light brown and green eyes, like you would see from an Indian Miss World winner. I touched her up to have chocolate tones in her eyes and freckles on her skin, just like me. It's a fun project to do with acrylic paints :) I think that would be a cute gift idea for someone too - make them a Barbie that represents their looks fairly closely. Before and after photo: http://pics.livejournal.com/seamstressy/pic/00003ayy/g5 When I was little, I enjoyed gazing into the purple eyes of my pale-skinned Barbie. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a bit of fantasy, and it’s nice that the darker-skinned Barbies can have fun eye colours too :)

I agree that it is unusual to see playline dolls with chocolate brown eyes – from any brand of doll. I recently bought one of the Fashionista dolls (Sporty) to be a Barbie version of myself. She came with exotic and beautiful light brown and green eyes, like you would see from an Indian Miss World winner. I touched her up to have chocolate tones in her eyes and freckles on her skin, just like me. It’s a fun project to do with acrylic paints :) I think that would be a cute gift idea for someone too – make them a Barbie that represents their looks fairly closely.

Before and after photo: http://pics.livejournal.com/seamstressy/pic/00003ayy/g5

]]> By: Therese http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-1785 Therese Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:02:00 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-1785 Nah, most people - this includes Africans, Asians and Europeans have features that are varying shades of browns. Nothing wrong with that... trees/wood are brown, rocks are brown, soil is brown, chocolate is brown and pretty much everyone will agree how great those things are. I don't know where your anger comes from, this blog post is an objective observation of existing dolls' eye colours, that's all. BTW, royal does not always equal financial privilege. You also make it sound like Africa is one monotonous country. There are almost 50 nations that make up mainland Africa... please don't lump all these different nations and their people into one tiny box. Also, I have never ever seen any human being with lavender eyes... not even with Europeans. Nah, most people – this includes Africans, Asians and Europeans have features that are varying shades of browns. Nothing wrong with that… trees/wood are brown, rocks are brown, soil is brown, chocolate is brown and pretty much everyone will agree how great those things are.

I don’t know where your anger comes from, this blog post is an objective observation of existing dolls’ eye colours, that’s all.

BTW, royal does not always equal financial privilege. You also make it sound like Africa is one monotonous country. There are almost 50 nations that make up mainland Africa… please don’t lump all these different nations and their people into one tiny box.

Also, I have never ever seen any human being with lavender eyes… not even with Europeans.

]]> By: Heindrich Von Hochenbereger http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-1783 Heindrich Von Hochenbereger Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:25:11 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-1783 Who really cares!!!There are a lot of mixed couples. There are a lot of African Royal Families in Africa. The difference is Africans from Africa exude extreme elegance and fantastic style and etiquette. They are not into all of these things. African women come in a wide array of skin colors and hues and eye colors and tones. The only difference between Africans from Africa and minorities here are they are confident in who they are and never even discuss these types of things and also not into beat boxes, chicks and nice cars. They are into education, classical music, opera and very high scaled activities and events. There have been African Princesses and Princes for ages,and they are millionaires dealing in high scaled businesses but they DO NOT have the same attitudes as do minorities here. They do not have time for these kinds of things . It is time to stop all of this and take pride in who you are individuals and began to carry yourselves as you should. These are some of the most beautiful Barbies in the world , if not the most beautiful ones and very reflective of African beauty as it includes a wide variety and array of all kinds of eye colors and skin tones and thats what makes you all beautiful.STOP COMPLAINING!! People in Europe pay thousands of dollars to get a tan, its a billion dollar industry! <strong>Mod Note</strong> - your other comment has been deleted as it is almost the same as this one and it was in all CAPS - please don't use all caps unless you want people to think you're shouting. Thanks for commenting. Who really cares!!!There are a lot of mixed couples. There are a lot of African Royal Families in Africa. The difference is Africans from Africa exude extreme elegance and fantastic style and etiquette. They are not into all of these things. African women come in a wide array of skin colors and hues and eye colors and tones. The only difference between Africans from Africa and minorities here are they are confident in who they are and never even discuss these types of things and also not into beat boxes, chicks and nice cars. They are into education, classical music, opera and very high scaled activities and events. There have been African Princesses and Princes for ages,and they are millionaires dealing in high scaled businesses but they DO NOT have the same attitudes as do minorities here. They do not have time for these kinds of things . It is time to stop all of this and take pride in who you are individuals and began to carry yourselves as you should. These are some of the most beautiful Barbies in the world , if not the most beautiful ones and very reflective of African beauty as it includes a wide variety and array of all kinds of eye colors and skin tones and thats what makes you all beautiful.STOP COMPLAINING!! People in Europe pay thousands of dollars to get a tan, its a billion dollar industry!

Mod Note – your other comment has been deleted as it is almost the same as this one and it was in all CAPS – please don’t use all caps unless you want people to think you’re shouting. Thanks for commenting.

]]> By: Spotty http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-1140 Spotty Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:40:08 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-1140 I think the reason for odd colors is that they try to get at least five or six different colors on each face. If they used dark brown features on a dark skinned doll, the features might not stand out enough to attract children. I don't know if that's true in real life, but I think that's the logic they're using. I think the reason for odd colors is that they try to get at least five or six different colors on each face. If they used dark brown features on a dark skinned doll, the features might not stand out enough to attract children.

I don’t know if that’s true in real life, but I think that’s the logic they’re using.

]]> By: D7ana http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/2009/the-eye-colours-of-black-dolls/comment-page-1/#comment-1044 D7ana Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:33:52 +0000 http://www.dollsofcolor.org/blog/?p=526#comment-1044 Eye color for Black dolls ... hmmm ... it depends on the doll. Some dolls I see with blue or green or hazel eyes, I think, no biggie. Other times, I shake my head and wonder what the company was thinking. Eye color for Black dolls … hmmm … it depends on the doll. Some dolls I see with blue or green or hazel eyes, I think, no biggie. Other times, I shake my head and wonder what the company was thinking.

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