An ongoing illustrative history study
This piece originally posted 6/27/2020
"When I saw the reaction from some of the little girls, what was gratifying to me was that their reaction was, 'Oh mommy, look at the doll. She looks just like me.' Or, 'She has pretty skin.' That kind of reaction. And that was very, very rewarding to me."
You may not know her name, but you've almost certainly seen her creation: Kitty (neé Louvenia) Black Perkins, creator of the first black Barbie doll. Prior to Black Barbie's debut in 1979, there had been other black fashion dolls (both in the Mattel line and elsewhere), but these were relegated to secondary characters ("Barbie's friend Christie," etc.). Perkins changed all that and ensured that a generation of little girls of color, could grow up playing with their very own name-brand Barbie.
Growing up in racially-segregated South Carolina, Perkins was thoroughly aware of the importance of representation. Originally beginning her career in fashion design, Perkins answered a job announcement from Mattel more or less on a whim. To date she has designed more than 100 different fashions for the 11 1/2 inch character. Today her creation stands as a milestone, not only for Mattel's most famous brand, but for black representation in general.
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