Not All Girls Embrace Latest Black Barbie Doll, Say Mattel Toys Went Too Far With Rap-Detail
Simone Weichselbaum, New York Daily News, October 1, 2009
Barbie from the block got mixed reviews Wednesday from city girls inspecting the newest spin on the old-school toy.
“So In Style” dolls, a fresh take on the black Barbie, hit store shelves this week, featuring a group of plastic friends sporting shiny bling, big earrings and fancy sneakers.
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Tyaine Danclaire, 15, of the Bronx, liked Trichelle’s straight, long hair because it looked like “a weave,” but she thought the idea “was sorta racist.”
[Editor’s Note: “Trichelle” is one of the three “Barbie” dolls coming out this week.]
“They say black girls are ghetto with the gold earrings, with the big bling; I don’t agree with that,” she said.
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The new $30.99 dolls have “authentic-looking facial features” such as fuller lips, a wider nose . . . and curlier hair,” Mattel said.
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Nikki Wright, 12, of East Harlem, showed off her braided hair extensions and gold hoops in her ears while holding a Trichelle doll.
“They look like people where we live,” the seventh-grader said. “I wear big earrings. The weave. Things that we use.”