Do you consider Sunny ‘black’?

TLDR At bottom

I know this is a sensitive subject, therefore I want to preface this by saying I don’t wish to upset or offend anyone with this post, but I do think it’s an important discussion to have

I went to a major UK Toy store yesterday to pick up CC Vi. While checking through the 8 Violets available, a couple of girls (around 14ish) also started looking at the RH section, and I overheard their conversation.

Girl 1: ‘Oh I love Rainbow High’. Girl 2: ‘Yeah Same, Shame there is only 1 actual black girl’ (picking up Iris). Girl 1: ‘Yeah… well there is Sunny’. Girl 2: ‘Yeah but she’s not really ‘black’ is she’? Girl 1: ‘No, I guess not. Anyway, I think I am going to get this (taking the Iris).

I’ve been thinking about this and I feel conflicted.

On the one hand, I feel sad that there is only one deep skin character that is widely available. RH has always been a bit of a rollercoaster when it comes to diversity. But when you look at the RV year, there were so many deep-skin dolls to choose from: Phaedra, Harper, Coco, Shanelle, Aylisha, and Meline. Plus a lot of the other characters were also not white, with a lot of different ethnicities being depicted (Lilly, Maria, R3, most of Series 4 etc). So, in comparison to now, it’s a massive downgrade that there is only 1 deep-skin character (Iris) and at maximum 3 dolls of colour (Sunny, and debatably Skyler). I Should point out that this store is not stocking Hair chalk Meline, only Amaya: a fate that Turquoise Eyes also had with the WC & Cs which is problematic in itself and doesn’t help matters.

On the other hand, I have difficulty with people not seeing Sunny as ‘Black’. Yes, she isn’t as deep-skinned as other characters, but I don’t think it’s right to dismiss her ethnicity as not having black heritage when she clearly does. I don’t think anyone could really look at Sunny and think ‘Oh, she’s a white girl’. It's frustrating for people with her skin tone in real life to suffer racism and to lack white privilege, but then be considered ‘not black enough’ and feel gaslighted. I know people IRL that have discussed this and there are multiple articles written about this.

I am, however, also aware that whitewashing and Colourism is a massive issue within the doll industry (and within Art/Media itself- you only need to look at the Divas in S3 for a clear example.) So I am sure that Sunny was designed to be the black option, whilst having a light enough complexion to not lose mass appeal. I also think it’s telling that Sunny was in every line last year, whereas this year, with the introduction of Iris, lines are planned to include either Iris (Creative Chyistals & Rainbow Shimmers- Slime legs) or Sunny (Jr Rock & New Budget line) BUT NOT BOTH. This to me, makes me think that MGA believes that as long as they put one black doll out they have a ‘multi ethnic’ line. Which is obvious BS.

I guess, we need to convince MGA to make their lines more diverse and include more characters of different ethnicities. We know they can do this as seen with Series 4. So, why can’t Sunny and Iris be in a line together? The best way of doing this is by making sure we show love to ALL the black characters (especially if you are in the UK/or other countries that seem to prioritise light-skinned dolls). And I know that this makes me a hypocrite seeing as I brought Vi, but it’s only since writing this down have I realised why this is so important.

Like I said at the beginning, I know this is controversial, but please can we say civil to one another and have a mature conversation that is important to have.

TLDR: I feel sad that there's only one widely available deep-skin character in the UK (Iris), compared to the past. However, I struggle with people not seeing Sunny as ‘Black.’ While her skin isn't as deep as other characters, I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss her like I have witnessed people doing so. I recognize that whitewashing and colourism are major issues in the doll industry and media. I recognise that Sunny was likely designed as the Black option, yet with a lighter complexion for broader appeal. Last year, Sunny was included in every line, but this year each line features either Iris or Sunny, but not both. This suggests that MGA thinks having one Black doll qualifies their line as ‘Diverse’, which is BS. I believe we need to encourage MGA to diversify their doll lines and include more ethnicities, again and therefore crucial to show support for all black characters, especially in places like the UK where lighter skin dolls are often prioritized. Writing this down has helped me see why it matters.