To the woman who returned a doll because her skin was too dark,
Working at Walmart in the customer service department, I have seen a lot of strange things. I have encountered a lot of rude customers and customers constantly trying to scam the store. I have been yelled at, things have been thrown at me, and I have also been called very nasty names. All of those things do not surprise me anymore, however, I have never had a customer return a doll because the doll's skin was too "dark."
You said the doll was a gift to your granddaughter and when my coworker asked, "Is there anything wrong with it?" You responded with, "No, her skin is just too dark." We were both astonished at the fact that a perfectly fine doll that was still in the box was being returned because of the color of its skin.
I am not saying nor do I assume that you do not like people of color. Not at all! However, my concern is that your granddaughter received this gift and you took it from her and probably replaced it with a doll that was white. What is your action teaching your granddaughter?That light skin is more beautiful than dark skin? Or that because she is white she needs to have white dolls? Or will she think that people of color are less than light colored people?
To you it may not seem like a big deal, but to me it is. People of color have been oppressed over the course of our history and it has not stopped nor has it gotten any better. I do not want to call this racism, by no means am I trying to say that your action was a form of racism, however, your action gave your granddaughter a message. A message that it was unacceptable to have a doll that did not look like her. Kids absorb what they see from their elders. Prejudice is learned, it is something that is taught.
I would love to know why? Why did you not allow your granddaughter to play with a doll that is dark skinned? Would you be opposed to her playing with a dark skin girl?
I will tell you though that one of my managers took your side. When I was talking about it she responded with, "Well yeah, if the girl is white she is going to want a white doll. They make brown dolls for brown girls." When I was young I had white dolls despite the fact that I am a Latina. Was I suppose to only play with dark dolls? I just never got the memo that your toys need to look like you.
I have hope that one day we can get away from this mindset. The mindset that being light skinned is beautiful and dark skin is not. I have hope that one day little girls will have dolls of all different ethnicity. I also hope that we as a society gets out of the mentality that they make dolls of different ethnicities for children of that ethnicity.
Best regards,
A Walmart Associate
