Today, I want to present you Khadijah, the talented, intelligent and beautiful creator of Djah Doll – beautiful dolls for beautiful people. While interviewing Khadijah, I had the 2006 film, “A Girl Like Me,” in mind that was directed by teenager Kiri Davis who recreated a famous 1940s experiment conducted by Dr. Kenneth Clark that studied the psychological effects of segregation on black children.
In Clark’s test, children were given a black doll and a white doll, and then asked which one they thought was better. Most chose the white doll. Years later, Davis asked 4- and 5-year-old kids at a Harlem school the same question. She found the children’s answers were not that different.
Black Beauties, what is happening in our community that our children are not accepting to the beauty in our darker skin, bright eyes, full lips and wide nose?
“When you consider yourself valuable you will take care of yourself in all ways that are necessary.” –M. Scott Peck
I got a chance to kick it with Khadijah to find out all about Djah Doll… check the Q & A below:
Why did you start designing dolls?
When my little girl Sonnet was about a year old, I thought it would be great for her to have a cloth, vintage styled ragdoll that she hug, love and can keep for a lifetime. My ideal doll for her would have wooly hair and rich chocolate brown skin as she has. I searched for a while, but I had not found anything that could measure up to my idea, so one day I just decided, hmmmm “why not make one” and so my love began…
What is your inspiration?
So many things inspire me to create; vintage buttons, lace, beautiful fabrics get me all excited, but my inspiration comes from the children. I love the big smiles and bright eyes of children. I want to keep them smiling and loving themselves.
Did you teach yourself?
Oh, yes! I am proud to say that I am completely self-taught; in fact, I am still teaching myself. I am a life long learner.
Would you like your line carried at a mass retailer?
That would be great, so long as I can still have the control of designing my dolls. I make them all by hand. I love this personal process. I also love knowing whom each doll is going home with, but I am also all about growth in business.
Describe your favorite doll and why?
Asking me to describe my favorite doll is like asking a mother to pick out her favorite child. I can never do it. I love them all the same. They are each truly one of a kind.
What are the reactions of the clients who received the finished product?
Oh, they love them. *smile* It is so funny because most of my customers first purchase dolls for a little person in their lives, but after receiving them, they usually want to keep them for themselves.Â
What dolls did you play with as a child?
My favorite doll was a Magic Nursery doll. With that doll, you had to wet its diaper in order to determine its gender. Mine was a girl. She had rich brown skin and jet-black hair; I named her Ebony because her hair was so black. She did have big green eyes (I did not quite understand that) but I loved that doll. I also had a Huggie Bean doll that I really liked to play with. I did not have many dolls, but the ones I did have were always brown. My mother made sure of that.
Do all of these dolls have their own personality?
Certainly, each doll has a personality and flavor of her own. I usually create their clothing in groups, for instance; if I am working on 10 dolls at one time, the theme for all of them may be African Batiks and so all of their clothing will surround that. Each African Batik will be different as well as hairstyle, skin tone and personality.
How many dolls are a part of your collection?
Out in the universe there are 35 Djahdolls. The collection is still growing.
Do you have a celebrity-inspired doll?
Each DjahDoll is given her own name that matches her particular persona. I do have a doll I named after the great Ms. Lena Horne, but her name is simply, Lena. Ms. Horne was my inspiration for that creation.
Kids internalize stereotypes at a young age. In a film, someone asked a little girl what doll looks bad. The girl immediately chooses the black doll. When asked why she chose that doll, the girl said because it is black. Tell me how important is it to have ethnic dolls?
Having dolls of color is as important as having positive role models of color. It equips our children with the tools to be positive role models themselves. Having beautiful dolls of color  that are true to image, is what builds healthy and positive self images in our children, so yes…I would say not only is it important, IT IS VITAL…
What is next on your plan?
What is next on my plan is to travel… I want to go all over the globe and spread the love of DjahDoll. I have a great job to do, showcasing black beauty and beyond… *smile*
What is style to you?
EVERYTHING! Your style is your message to the world…it is what tells people about you before your words and actions do. It is your personal walking canvas. You can always recreate it.
Do the dolls where makeup?
They better not..shoot, they are too young! Maybe in a more mature collection…we shall see.
Describe your style?
I got a funky, funky rhyme with a funky style.. I am a vintage type of a gal..I love cow girl boots, ho bo bags and printed dresses. I am a sucker for floral prints and rompers right now.. Not necessarily a follower of trends. In five words..” I do my own thang”
What’s your favorite item in your closet right now?|
Hmmmm..I would say my absolute fave right now is my vintage romper (70′s). It is deep purple with big white polka dots. It has a belt with a large brass buckle. My second fav are my black cow girl boots with the silver toes, they are so fly and they go about everywhere I go… I love them.
Name two items of make up that you use daily.
I would love to give a shout out to coconut oil and raw shea butter *smile* honestly, I really like a simple clean face…but if I want to add a little extra ounce to my bounce, I’d rock it out with Revlon’s Super Lustrous lip gloss.
Check out Khadijah’s latest collections online by clicking here.
Djah, girl, I love you. Continue to provide us with beauty, style and grace.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rashidah Ferguson. Rashidah Ferguson said: Black Beauty News: Black Beauty Spotlight: Khadijah Salaam http://beyondblackbeauty.com/2010/04/12/black-beauty-spotlight-khadijah-salaam/ [...]
Would be really interesting to see your traffic spike if you had any stats enabled
These dolls are very pretty. I especially like the ballerina dolls. If you like authentic looking black dolls, you should also check out Prodigyrls. My niece received one in December and she loves it! They are so cute.
http://www.prodigyrls.com
This post seems to be fantastic and I would achieve some thing or the other from this post. That’s for sure.Thank you for the post and looking more from you.
I really like the look and inspiration of the djahdoll. Keep it up Khadijah, good to see you doing your own thing!!!
Nice read.
Like your blog, I bookmarked it and I will check your site later again.
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Hey mate, greetings from Iceland !
While There’s no doubt that your current article is on the proper course there are actually a few tips i do not accept.
Skillful topic. I can’t conceive of the accurate phrases to distinguish it, “Fine theme” seems so banal. You are so true in everything you articulate.
Good read … headline catchy … good points, some of which I have learned along the way as well (humility, grace, layoff the controversial stuff). Will share with my colleagues at work as we begin blogging from a corporate perspective. Thanks!
Excellent site
I think that is an interesting point, it made me think a bit. Thanks for sparking my thinking cap. Sometimes I get so much in a rut that I just feel like a record.
[...] Spotlight section. The past Black Beauty Spotlights have  included fashion stylists, authors, designers, R&B artists and even a TV judge. I’ve met these women through my work with Beyond Black [...]