I like to think that I write fairly well, but far too often, someone else comes along and says what I was trying to say, only they say it with far more skill and eloquence than I ever could. 

This was the case this week, when I came across a great post about the subconscious messages we get from the unbearable whiteness of most of the dolls that are created for children today. I could definitely relate to the author’s  recollection of her childhood:

When I was about eight or nine I found a doll that I wanted and the reason I wanted her is that she had dark brown hair (like me) and blue eyes (like me). It really bothered me that all the dolls back then – the 70s – were blondes.  (keep reading . . . )

I also grew up as a white, brown haired/brown eyed girl in the Malibu Barbie era, and I am convinced that I remember my one blue-eyed, blonde-haired friend either saying or implying that she was superior because SHE looked more like Barbie. I can’t be sure of this, but I do know that there was a song in this friend’s family organ’s songbook called, “Beautiful Brown Eyes”, the words of which I recall with perfect clarity even to this day–“Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes; I’ll never love blue eyes again.” It was definitely an issue, and part of what has fueled my own unwavering insistence on equality for non-blonde dolls . . .

it’s just nice to know that I’m not alone in this.