There’s more to Barbie than just good looks

To Whitney Wade, Barbie is more than just a pretty face. Sure, people have complained about her unnaturally svelte figure and pinched waist line, her imprimatur as the essence of American beauty, her unchanging image of what little girls should aspire to become.

Beneath the glam, though, Wade sees more.

“You can learn a lot about imaginary play, gender roles, makeup, hair and fashion trends, popular culture and race relations all through Barbie,” she said.

Wade grew up with Barbies in all shades of color, and now she is a collector of black Barbie dolls. Her interest in collecting them was fueled, she recalled, when she went looking for her old dolls in the family’s basement, and they were gone. Tossed perhaps in a move. So, she replaced those childhood friends with more of them, and her collecting took off in earnest.

Wade tells the story of her love for Barbies and why she collects them:

Question:

Did you grow up with a lot of dolls? Were any of them black dolls?

Answer:

I did grow up with a lot of dolls, baby dolls and Barbies mostly. All of the dolls I had as a child were black, brown and tan. My parents were very particular about making sure that I was surrounded with positive images to help develop a strong racial and cultural identity, and that I had mostly dolls and toys that reflected me. This philosophy and parenting style spilled over into films and TV shows that I watched (Disney was an exception), books that I read, choosing schools with a diverse student and teacher population (when possible). I didn’t realize until I entered my teen years or later that other black and multiracial girls who I met and went to school with did not always share this same experience, and that a lot of brown girls did not have black dolls growing up.

I only had two dolls that were not black: two white Barbies that were given to me by friends from school as birthday gifts when I turned about 6 or 7. Now that I collect Barbie, I know that these two were Troll Barbie (she was blonde) and the other was Radiant in Red Barbie. Radiant in Red had brunette/dark hair, and I remember my mom telling me when I asked if she was white and if it was okay for me to have her, “no, she’s just light-skinned like Daddy. You can keep her.”

Question:

Tell me the story of how you got started collecting? How long have you been collecting?

Answer:

I started collecting Barbies in junior high (2001). My aunt bought me an Avon Barbie called Sunshine Day and I kept her in the box. The black version wears a yellow flowered mini dress and white go-go boots, kind of a mod theme. After that my mom started buying me Holiday Barbies every year, and I’ve been keeping up with that series ever since. The more I amassed, I started thinking about going back down in the basement and digging up old Barbies and toys to see what kind of shape they were in. I then discovered that all of the Barbies I used to play with were missing! Someone must have thrown them out during a move, and I am still pretty upset about that. There were about 30 Barbies, a Ferrari, RV and a slew of other things I would love to have been able to keep up with. I still had a bunch of stuffed animals and other toys, but the only doll left was an American Girl baby doll (an infant, not one of the characters) that I still have today.

Question:

What is it about Barbie that’s so enticing? She doesn’t seem to ever go out of style.

Answer:

Having those 30 or so Barbies thrown out, misplaced or whatever happened to them is probably why I became so enthralled with collecting Barbie specifically. I wanted to replace that lost collection. Talking to other collectors and girlfriends, I have met so many people with similar stories: women who had dolls lost in fires, burglaries, a move to a new home, or taken and “put away” as a form of punishment never to be seen again.

My family is full of artists and collectors of random things: African and African American art, photographs, books, vinyl records. Recently, my grandfather told me that his mom was somewhat of a hoarder who had always planned to open a thrift store and sell all the items she had. Maybe keeping a lot of stuff is hereditary, but I have developed a very special love for holding a piece of history and culture in my hands. Barbies and toys do that for me: You can learn a lot about imaginary play, gender roles, makeup, hair and fashion trends, popular culture and race relations all through Barbie.

Mattel has come quite a long way from black Barbies being the same as white ones, just dipped in another color. There are now more authentic facial features, skin tones, hair styles and textures. The historical trends are beautiful, fascinating and disgusting all at once.

Question:

How many dolls do you have in your collection and how do you store them?

Answer:

I only have about 230 Barbies, and keep them in those large plastic bins with other dolls and action figures. Currently, I’m enrolled in a certificate program in Artifact Collection Care at the University of Chicago. The classes cover how to protect different types of collections, agents of deterioration, display, exhibition design and other topics. I definitely plan to make some improvements in how I display and store my dolls. My measly 230 Barbies definitely puts me in the amateur class. I don’t consider myself a doll or Barbie expert by any means – and have many, many years to go to catch up with collectors who have thousands of dolls.

Question:

What’s the oldest Barbie doll that you have?

Answer:

The oldest Barbie doll is a Julia from 1969 (Christie face sculpt). “Julia” was a TV show that ran in the late ‘60s to early ‘70s starring Diahann Carroll. It was one of the first shows to feature a black woman in a non-ridiculous and non-racist role (read: not overweight, a domestic, or a buffoon as black people were typically portrayed on television, radio and film for decades). I also have the Julia repro from 2009. Some of the other older ones I have are from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s: Beauty Secrets Christie, Malibu Christie and the first black Barbie. I have a couple Shindana Toys dolls from the late ‘70s – Flip Wilson and Marla Gibbs.

Question:

Do you collect black Barbies for a special reason? Why is it important to collect and maintain black dolls?

Answer:

This country’s history of white supremacy has been especially detrimental to the black psyche. I believe that promotion of racism in media and representation (either via stereotypes or complete erasure), coupled with the emphasis placed on physical appearance for women in particular, has done irreparable damage to black women and girls. It is almost impossible to raise a black or brown girl in this country, as well as others, and not have to struggle with that baggage and negative stereotyping that we did not create but have been saddled with fighting against. Seeing yourself reflected positively in imagery and messaging that you digest daily plays a large part in self-esteem, self-worth and even locus of control.

Having dolls and toys that reflect your little girl or boy is very important for that cultural identity and self-esteem. It certainly played a role in my childhood. Again, I think my parents did a stellar job at making sure that I had toys, dolls, books and friends that looked, acted and spoke like me. Of course, having black Barbies alone was not a cure-all for trying to erase all these negative images about black women – from the hypersexual Jezebel to the welfare queen – and Barbie certainly has her issues.

One of them is the fact that her body shape has not changed since 1959, and has never been very representative of the average woman – of ANY color. However, the key is choice, and the ability to provide multiple, positive (or as close to positive as possible) options so that children can learn to love themselves and others that look like them. This is why it is important to keep, share, gift, collect, photograph and hold on to black dolls that are sometimes harder to find and not always available. For a people who have largely been told for hundreds of years in a variety of ways that they are ugly and unworthy, it’s more than simply a doll or plaything. It’s much bigger, wider and heavier.

Question:

Do you offer presentations on your dolls? How?

Answer:

Facebook and Twitter. I post and tweet pics about my dolls pretty frequently; however, I am sure that most of my friends are uninterested. I am in several black doll and Barbie groups on Facebook (no actual doll clubs that have regular meetings), and I love seeing others’ pics, especially custom fashions and OOAK’s (one of a kinds).

Last year I presented about half of my Barbie collection at the Detroit Doll Show, organized by Sandy Epps of Sandy’s Land Entertainment. Sandy does face painting, art projects and other creative workshops at children’s parties and special events. She has also put on some programs targeted towards empowerment for women and girls in the Detroit area. The 2nd Detroit Doll Show will be in December this year, and I definitely plan to be there. Here’s a YouTube interview of Wade at the show.

Question:

Do you have a certain criteria for collecting Barbie dolls? Or do you just buy ones you like?

Answer:

I buy what I like, mostly. I do find myself getting very frustrated when there are Barbies released that I would love to see in a black version and it doesn’t exist. Perfect example: This year’s vintage Catwoman Barbie. Who in their right mind would design a vintage Catwoman Barbie and not think to produce a black version: Eartha Kitt as Catwoman! That would’ve been amazing! Eartha Kitt was the quintessential triple threat entertainer and had a phenomenal career. Someone out there has to agree with me!

Question:

Do you collect dolls only or also their accessories? Do you collect other types of things?

Answer:

No, I don’t collect other doll accessories or fashions. I do collect other dolls and action figures that I like, such as Disney Vinylmation, Power Rangers, a few Michael Jordan and Barack Obama action figures. Recently, I’ve bought a couple dolls from Integrity Toys. One of my favorites is their Josephine Baker doll, and I have a couple of their RuPaul dolls.

Question:

Is there one doll you’ve always wanted but haven’t been able to find?

Answer:

There is a long list of dolls that I want. Most of them I simply can’t afford. A few I haven’t been able to find, but most of them are on eBay for astronomical prices. The Wild Bunch Francie, Harley Davidson Barbie and Hard Rock Cafe Barbie are three at the top of that list. I would love to own a Ninimomo doll. Their designs, beadwork and attention to detail are outstanding.

Question:Where do you usually buy your dolls?

Answer:

EBay, Angelic Dreamz is one of my favorite sites for dolls (they have a lot of pre-orders available), Barbie Collector, thrift stores, Walmart and Target. I have purchased a few from people on Facebook looking to sell off parts of their collection, and even someone on LinkedIn. I bought a set of 4 or 5 Barbies from someone selling off a collection on behalf of a friend in a LinkedIn Barbie group. I don’t think this lady knew what she had.

Sometimes people will give me dolls that they don’t want or don’t know what to do with. One of my co-workers brought a baby doll over to my desk and asked me to help identify her. She got the doll from a neighbor who is moving out. The story goes that the neighbor’s grandmother had this doll since the 1920s and called her Topsy. She isn’t actually a Topsy (made by Horsman); she is made by a company called J-Cey, and she looked a lot newer to me, maybe 1960s or ‘70s. I sent some pics and a description over to Debbie Garrett, an expert black doll collector and author, via Facebook so that she could verify who this baby is. I’m guessing that this lady may have just referred to all black dolls she saw as Topsy, if that was what she was most familiar with or the only name she had ever heard a black doll called.

Question:

Have you had your collection appraised? Have you catalogued your dolls?

Answer:

My collection has not been appraised – I don’t think I have enough volume yet. I use Excel to keep track, and I have photographed most of the Barbies, but not any of the other dolls and action figures. Now that I’m getting the certificate in Artifact Collection Care I’ve networked with several people who can connect me with an appraiser. Most of the people in the program are also collectors, or museum and library professionals.

Question:

Tell me a little about yourself and your background.

Answer:

I grew up in Chicago; Bronzeville is my current home with my girlfriend, Ashley. I have two younger sisters. Only one of them is young enough to still play with dolls, so I buy Barbies for her when I can, remembering that they will be de-boxed. The other is a sophomore in high school. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis (MO) with a bachelor’s in psychology and African and African American Studies, and I also completed my master’s there in social work. I am in the field of nonprofit management and administration, with experience in grant-writing, college access programs, and nonprofit staffing and recruiting.

Question:

Are you a member of any organizations, such as a sorority?

Answer:

I am an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., an international service organization and the first sorority founded for black, college-trained women. In 2006 I was initiated into the Beta Delta Chapter in undergrad – it’s a citywide chapter so I have line sisters and sorors from campuses all over the St. Louis metro area. This year is my first in a graduate chapter: the Xi Nu Omega Chapter.

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If you collect black dolls or know someone who does, please let me know. I’d love to write about them and their collection. If you have any doll memories, please share those, too. Please contact me in the Comments box below.

Here are the other blog posts in the black dolls and their collectors series:

Barbara Whiteman and the Philadelphia Doll Museum

Aunt Sarah’s Dolls

Memories of a special doll and a love for baby dolls

My chance meeting of a black doll collector

A surprising mix of black dolls at convention

When black dolls talk, Debbie Garrett listens

Baby dolls don’t ‘eat, cry, or grow up & sass’