Santa surprised me with these gorgeous Barbie’s for Christmas!  

A few weeks ago I saw these lovelies online and shared the beautiful images with hubby.  Like magic, the dolls appeared under the Christmas tree.

As a little brown girl born in the 60’s, I seldom saw black dolls lining the shelves of Jamesway, Bradlees, or other retail stores.   I loved dolls and was blessed with a generous collection.

The dolls on my Christmas wish list emerged from viewing TV commercials that aired during Saturday morning cartoons.   

My mother was the pip-line to my aunt Miriam, who made sure that Santa brought me dolls that looked like me.  “Merm” as we called her (some still do) lived and worked in New York.   She sacrificed her lunch breaks to scour the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan to find the “black” version of the latest dolls for me.

My hot new Barbie’s roused pleasant childhood memories of my aunt’s kindness and generosity.

Thirty years later, my new doll’s hair really is similar to my hair, which is cool.  I think it’s great that some toy manufacturers’ finally recognize the diversity in the consumer market.  But I also know that more change is necessary because even in the 21^st Century, pricing disparities exist between black and white dolls and certain toys are still only readily available in certain regions, states, and/ or cities.

The current natural hair revolution is phenomenal!  Nearly anywhere you go, you can spot a beautiful and natural curly girl strolling casually and confidently.  I love it!    The motives of why so many women from different cultures are wearing their God-given natural curls are plentiful.

All that matters is that women have the choice to sport their natural curls and the loving and supporting natural community that helps with the transition and for this I am thankful!  Happy holidays!