Black Barbie: Documentary Takes a Closer Look at a Pioneering Doll

CNN
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In the first minutes of her new documentary film, writer-director LagueriaDavis visits her aunt, Beulah Mitchell. At Mitchell's house, they look through a room filled with boxes of dolls stacked to the ceiling.

Davis, who says in the documentary that she herself was far from a fan of dolls, was curious about why her aunt loved toys so much, so when she discovered her aunt's role in creating the first black Barbie doll, she knew there was a story. it had to be said.

Of course, she had a story, so I wanted to jump in immediately afterward, Davis explained in an interview with CNN. And so she did: Black Barbie: A Documentary, her new project, takes a deeper look at the history of Black Barbie and its impact on representation in the toy industry and culture at large. The film features the stories of Black women who worked at Mattel, as well as appearances from Shonda Rhimes, ballerina Misty Copeland, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, among others. Rhimes (whose production company, Shondaland, acquired the documentary at last year's SXSW Film Festival), Copeland and Muhammad have all had Barbies made in their likeness.

Mitchell worked at Mattel for more than four decades, beginning his career with the company in 1955 on the assembly line, one of only a handful of Black Americans employed there at the time. As a child, she was fascinated by dolls, she recalls in the documentary, but due to the lack of black dolls at the time, it never occurred to her that she might have a specific black doll .

In 1960 or 1961, she encouraged Mattel founder Ruth Handler to create a black Barbie doll, a revolutionary act, UCLA professor Patricia A. Turner explains in the documentary. (At the time, Handler responded, well, you see, Mitchell recalls.)

Although Mattel later sold black dolls like Christie and Nurse Julia in the late sixties, they were not Barbies. (Christie was featured as a supporting character in Barbieland, while Nurse Julia was a celebrity doll based on actor and singer Diahann Carroll.) The real black Barbie doll did not become a reality until decades later, after the company hired Kitty Black Perkins in 1976 as its first black designer.

By the eventual release of Black Barbies in 1980, it was clear that Black Perkins' design was the complete opposite of the Barbie people knew: full lips, a wide nose, bright colors and a short afro.

When I designed this doll, it was necessary that the little black girl could play with something that looked like her, explains Black Perkins in the documentary. I wanted it to reflect the total look of a black woman.

Barbie is such a ubiquitous and iconic brand. It's important to know that (the) Barbie brand could be attached to a non-white doll, Aaliyah Williams, the documentary's producer, told CNN. Having black Barbies (dolls) only reinforces that being black is awesome and amazing and that black women are beautiful. Not that having black dolls growing up was the only reason I felt like that, she continued, noting that I always felt like, wow, I'm beautiful. I come from beautiful people. I never questioned that. But I think if having a doll that you see yourself in helps you, then sure.

The documentary also discusses the impact dolls can have on young people and how they can reinforce ideas and ideals of beauty. (Mattel has often been criticized for its lack of diversity over the years and for the literally impossible unrealistic body proportions that Barbie embodies.) Some of the black women interviewed in the documentary remember playing with white dolls and having tried to change their dolls' hair and eyes. to be more like them. Others shared that their parents specifically only gave them black dolls.

I can still feel that sense of joy that I felt when I first discovered Black Barbie, said historian Yolanda Hester, calling the doll an acknowledgment that you exist, that you are here and that you you are appreciated.

Even with limited marketing and advertising, Black Barbie sold so well, according to Mitchell, that it led to an entire world of black dolls. These included the Shani line of dolls (in different shades) and a 30th anniversary doll from designer Stacey McBride-Irby, who also features in the documentary. While working at Mattel, McBride-Irby also launched the So In Style (SIS) line of black dolls with a focus on mentorship and community.

In recent years, the Barbie brand has expanded and diversified further, offering dolls with different body types, careers and physical disabilities.

It's a great legacy story, Davis told CNN. This shows how representation can work and speaks to a time when there were no DEI initiatives.

Black Barbie is validation for my aunt, Kitty and Stacy, being seen and heard in a business where they were often silenced. Black Barbie is also a validation for us filmmakers, for everyone who worked on it, to be seen and heard in this industry, she added.

Williams said she was deeply moved watching the final cut of the documentary.

I just felt emotional. It was so, so beautiful. I think it's the ultimate love letter to black women, who are often not validated and told how amazing they are, she said. I am so proud of this film and of Lagueria and can't wait for the world to see it.