(Above) Reality-TV Star and natural hair boss Mushiya from WEtv’s Cutting It In the ATL, poses with her daughter’s Kasai Tshikuka-Smith (left) and Keleshe Tshikuka-Smith (right) holding Mushya’s new My Natural Doll. Photography by Drexina Nelson Photography
Cutting It In The ATL star Mushiya Tshikuka has launched a doll with natural hair to aid young black girls’ self-esteem
WEtv’s Mushiya from Cutting It In The ATL took to social media to announce the arrival of her new kinky-haired doll line called My Natural Doll, just in time for the holidays. Black Friday (Nov. 25th) will kick-off a holiday sale on the doll reducing the regular retail price of $195 to $165. The doll can be purchased online at www.runwaycurls.com
My Natural Doll will showcase and celebrate the unique beauty of all little girls with chocolate, brown skin and kinky-curly crowns. Inspired by Mushiya’s two daughters, the doll features Ethiopian-textured, 100% virgin hair from the Runway Curls Classic Collection established by Mushiya. My Natural Doll was created for little girls of African descent who need to be exposed to a reflection of themselves when playing with their baby dolls. The doll was also designed to help shape the perception of beauty and self-confidence in young black girls, who have always lacked a choice in dolls that they can fully identify with. Mushiya picks up the story:
‘I remember going to the store, MANY stores actually, looking for a black doll because Christmas was approaching and my girls were old enough to say.. “Mommy, I want a doll”. I refused for my little gorgeous black girls to have white dolls because I was not in the mood to confuse their confidence. I had worked so hard on it. But every black doll I saw, had straight hair, long big loop synthetic whitish curls or were just BALD. See, my children were born with a head full of kinks. Where was that doll? I went from store to store, Christmas after Christmas, year after year and would simply give up and buy them a dress or a book.
The black doll, in America’s biggest doll store, was dressed in slave clothes. She was a former slave. I refused to buy them a doll that didn’t look like them or celebrate their greatness and their beauty.
When friends and family got them little white barbies for birthdays, I would return them. I know it sounds harsh, but I was very in tune with the psychological effects of toys on children’s self esteem way before the research proved my thoughts.
But as they got older, they demanded dolls more and more. And since I couldn’t find their reflection in dolls, I decided to create dolls in their reflection. And hence the birth of My Natural Doll. People tell me that I have accomplished a lot in life for our women and for our community. And while I don’t really realize it, I will say this. Creating @MyNaturalDoll, is one of the proudest accomplishments I will ever achieve in this life for this world. 🙌🏿
And now all of your daughters can have a @mynaturaldoll.’
Keleshe from the My Natural Doll collection. Photography by Drexina Nelson Photography
