Who here specializes in AA or dark biracial reborns?
Who collects AA dolls, reborn or not? (Iāve always been told they are highly collectable.)
I have a several vintage/antique AA dolls that I love, that arenāt realistic and I find them beautiful. They bring me great joy in my private collection everyday.
But, Iām hesitant to show them because of their exaggerated faces and stereotypical clothes. They could be considered not politically correct or even offensive.
Does anyone else have this dilemma? What are your thoughts on the matter?
Please be kind. I love all races of people.
I collect AA dolls because I connect with them deeply and find them beautiful.
I do not condone or approve of slavery. This idea makes me sick.
I would say it depends on if the faces look like the faces of real POC, or if they were more like caricatures. I wouldnāt share them if they were like caricatures, it may seem disrespectful
I understand. I think I have a hard time telling the difference. I showed one to a friend once, and they said it looked like āblackfaceā. I hadnāt thought about it that way.
That one didnāt have much detail, as it is close in size to a dime. My Kewpie of similar size also has lack of detail like that, so I didnāt think about the dark one being different.
I love AA dolls too. I havenāt been able to paint one though. It seems to require so much more skill than I have. The closest I have come is a biracial skin tone, but that term can literally mean any two races, so itās not saying much.
When it comes to non-pc caricatures or blackface, without seeing the dolls it would be difficult to tell. There is (understandably) a lot of sensitivity on the topic of race in todays world. I would think that if the doll looked realistic and was portrayed in a conscientious way it wouldnāt be considered non-pc. If it looked more like a cartoon character with exaggerated features it might be best not to share it in a forum where it could be misconstrued.
I have showed pictures of one of the ladies babies on this forum who makes the most beautiful AA babies. This lady I was showing it to had the most beautiful baby, so I had to share, happened to be AA and she just loved the dolls and the talent of this lady. As far as being controversial, hope I am not out of line here, but people are born with the color they have. No choice in the matter. Nothing like that should ever be controversial, in my way of thinking. People are people, no matter their color, beliefs, nationality, etc. etc. I have had wonderful friends from other countries that I loved dearly. They are people to me. I donāt look at people as a certain color. Maybe I am weird, but that is just the way I see it.
I agree. I refuse to judge a person on anything other than their own choices/behaviours. I know that I shouldnāt be judgmental at all, but it is one of those human traits that I have difficulty overriding.
Old or Antique Black Dolls are collectible. They are a part of our history. Some may offend us but they tell a story. Here is some info for you. I think it is awesome that you care enough to find out before you show them. There is a person on here that got mad at me because I defended BB Pearl as she considered the doll to be black face. So if you do decide to show them be ready to defend yourself.
Thank you @TrinityCrystal for mentioning me, itās always an honor!
@EmOh, I agree with you in the decision to not share those photos. Caricatures and Blackfaces were used to mock AA and the racial oppression and violence around African Americans. Anyone who looks like me is beautiful in their skin, and there is a clear distinction between how people of color look compared to blackface images and caricatures with exaggerated faces. Iām glad youāre learning the difference between historyās representation of black people and seeing the beauty in our people.
But I think you mean older dolls, not reborns. And those I have no knowledge or experience with. I am glad some of these lovely ladies are poping in to help.
I have always seen the beauty in people in generalā¦My partnerās mother stayed with us (before Covid19) and after a tour of our place she blurted out, āIām surrounded by naked women!ā (Tasteful statues and paintings.) Lol!
I hadnāt realized how much naked people art we have.
@AnnieSokay Those were great articles! I especially enjoyed the 2nd oneā¦cause I had a similar experience as Samanthaā¦except I had a friend that asked why did all my dolls look the same (all blonde with a few brunette). I can remember my first AA dollā¦donāt laughā¦but it was MC Hammer. He broke the mold for my doll collectionā¦after I begged my mom to get him (and Vanilla Ice because I enjoyed both of their music) I started being able to get all different kinds of dollsā¦I got AA girls, red heads, and Asian. It was boring having had so many dolls that looked the sameā¦heck, I only got brunette dolls cause my mom liked me to have dolls that ālooked like me.ā I didnāt even get my first male doll until the New Kids on the Block dolls came out.
Even though most dolls didnāt have my hair color back then, I can never imagine what it would have been like to not have a doll with your skin tone or everywhere you look, thereās no representation of a doll that looks like you. Iāve had AA friends that told me they had all white dolls growing up and were surprised when they saw their first AA dollā¦that they used to never even show them in commercialsā¦you only saw them in store if they were lucky enough to have any.
I canāt wait to paint my first AA reborn, because I was so upset to have to sell my Baby Alive Amaya to pay for reborn supplies (I had to sell my whole Baby Alive collection, but she was the only one that truly saddened me to part withā¦she was the very last doll I listed too). Needless to say my first AA doll will be a girl named Amaya.
My first AA baby was a realistic (at the time) full sized newborn that I ordered through the mail as a tween. There were choices, boy or girl, and caucasian or AA. I chose an AA girl, and a friend of mine ordered one as well, and chose a caucasian boy. Wish I still had that doll now, but at some point I wasnāt really into dolls, and she had issues with her head falling off.
They could be considered not politically correct or even offensive.
I think it is awesome that you care enough to find out before you show them. There is a person on here that got mad at me because I defended BB Pearl as she considered the doll to be black face. So if you do decide to show them be ready to defend yourself. 
