Congolese hairstylist Mushiya Tshikuka, hostess of the WEtv reality show, Cutting it in the ATL, has just released a new doll aimed at helping children with natural hair realize that they are indeed beautiful.
Keleshe, the first in the “My Natural Doll” series, clad in a colorful African-print dress and sporting a 100% virgin African textured kinky curly hairstyle, is available on Tshikuka’s website just in time for the holiday season.
“In a world where the dolls we play with and the role models we see shapes our perception of beauty and our self-confidence, it is important that our little girls are constantly exposed to a reflection of themselves,” begins a description on the website of the doll. “beautiful black skin and kinky hair like that which grows out of their own head.”
In addition to Keleshe’s voluminous locks and brightly-colored apparel, the doll comes with a song titled, My Natural Doll, whose lyrics embrace and share a sense of confidence, beauty and self-love. Through research and study the importance for children to have a positive representation of self in their lives has been continually been proven. Dolls like Keleshe add to the growing numbers of options that young black girls have to play with today, reminding them that black is indeed beautiful.
To check out Keleshe for yourself, visit Tshikuka’s website here.
