28/09/2017
Artist Kay Black creates customized dolls with vitiligo so that kids with the skin condition can see themselves represented! To give dolls the appearance of vitiligo, a condition which causes patches of skin to lose their pigment, the Kansas-based designer repaints porcelain dolls freehand to incorporate patches of white skin, often matching the depigmentation pattern of a person with the condition. Several prominent figures, including ballerina Michaela DePrince and model Winnie Harlow, both of whom have vitiligo, have raised awareness of the condition in recent years; as Harlow said in a TED talk, “It takes one person to realize that there is beauty in everything.” The dolls, which Black makes by custom order, take a few days to make but mean the world to children who rarely see their appearances represented in toys. “[I] take pride in each custom design,” she says. “I love what I do!”
To see more of Kay Black's work on her Kay Customz Instagram, visit http://bit.ly/2hAuf2T
Ballerina Michaela DePrince has spoken openly about her struggle with bullying due to her vitiligo in two books: a memoir for ages 11 and up, "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" (https://www.amightygirl.com/taking-flight), and an easy chapter book for ages 6 to 9, "Ballerina Dreams: From Orphan to Dancer" (https://www.amightygirl.com/ballerina-dreams).
To help instill the importance of loving yourself in your Mighty Girl - and an appreciation for those qualities that make you unique - we've shared dozens of empowering books for children and teens in our blog post, "25 Body Image Positive Books for Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10912
And, to discover more of our favorite empowering dolls and action figures, check out our blog post "A New Best Friend: 50 Mighty Girl Dolls and Action Figures," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13852
