A Doll With Afro Hair You Can Actually Twist Out and Curl

Have you ever tried to do a twist out on a doll with plastic hair? We can tell you — it ain't easy. That's why one young mother created Angelica. The 18-inch doll has long Afro hair that you can twist, curl, blow-dry, wash, and bantu knot. Unlike our American Girl doll from the '90s, Angelica is more than just a standard model painted with brown skin. She has the wide nose and plump pout many young Black girls see in the mirror every day.

Angelica Sweeting, the founder of Naturally Perfect Dolls, created this Barbie doll alternative to help her African American daughters accept their own natural coils and facial features as opposed to dreaming of fair skin and straight hair. "I'm creating Angelica to let girls know that they are beautiful," she wrote on Kickstarter. "Our girls need to see a reflection of their own unique beauty. It's time for our young girls to have a new standard." So far the project has raised over $15,000 and has 200 backers. Each Angelica doll will come with three kinky hair essentials: a miniature Denman brush, a spray bottle, and styling cream to encourage young girls to experiment. Perhaps if I had had a playmate like Angelica by my side, it would have taken less than 20 years for me to embrace my God-given kinks.