These Dolls With Skin Conditions Celebrate Our Differences

Parents who browse the shelves of toy stores are usually greeted by skinny blonde Barbie dolls. But what about all the kids who want a doll that looks a little more like them?

Enter Kay Black. The jewelry designer and hair stylist makes custom-made dolls with special physical features and recently began a new line of dolls with vitiligo – a skin condition that causes darker skin pigments to turn white.

All of Black’s stunning creations are made out of older dolls that she finds at secondhand stores and slowly transforms into a unique piece of art.

Depending on the level of detail of the doll, it can take her up to several weeks to finish a project.

Black’s vitiligo dolls have been so positively received, she even began expanding her creations to include male dolls and dolls with albinism.

As a result, dozens of fans of her one-of-a-kind dolls have expressed their appreciation for Blacks’s efforts to point out the beauty in difference and encourage diversity as well as representation.

If you would like to request a custom-made doll or look at Black’s past creations, you can check out the artist’s Instagram or website.