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Black Fem Queens are my guiding light. Thank you Mothers.

#black trans women #fem queens #black women #my reason for being me #ballroom

The New Black Barbies by Malaika Eyoh: (MEET DAMESHA)

Darius and Dare Moreno created Dare Dollz, a universe of urban-glamour clay dolls, in 2018. “We were in Virginia Beach at our grandparents house, just thinking of things to create” Darius tells me over email. “My grandmother has a room dedicated to her doll collection. After really studying that room, we realised the importance of dolls for every age group. We knew that we wanted to make our own and did that within a month of us staying there.” Raised in the DMV (the area stretching between D.C, Maryland and Virginia), the brother-sister duo started making dolls inspired by almost everything. “The facial and body structures are inspired by some ballroom icons that I love” Darius explains. “I love androgyny and how a person’s confidence can be shown just through physical alterations because of the boldness of it all. When it comes to clothes, we draw inspiration from our family members, who’ve always been very stylish for generations. We also really love Japanese culture, the detail they put in all of their art is an inspiration”.

The Dare Dollz exist in a claymation universe that is opulently Black. The female dolls have neon inches, coiffed into perfect updo’s. They have long acrylic sets and razor-sharp winged eyeliner. One doll wears a thick purple teddy fur coat with a yellow and black minidress. Another wears fishnet stockings and a snakeskin leather jacket with purple fur on the trim. The male dolls are equally done up, with their hair laid into perfect waves and diamond jewels on each earlobe. The dolls exude the type of glamour that defined the late-80’s and early-90s; confident, bold and articulating the definition(s) of ‘urban’ for themselves, outside of whatever connotations not located within their universe(s).

#Black dolls #black trans women #ballroom #fem queens

“Fem Queens have always set trends in beauty and fashion way before they were under the magnifying glass. For me in particular it is the confidence these women embody that inspires me and my work....” - Darius Moreno

#art #fem queens #fq #black trans women

The New Black Barbies by Malaika Eyoh: (MEET DEMINGO aka DEMI)

Life is represented through the Dare Dollz themselves. Aside from the outfits, the facial and physical compositions of each doll is its own narrative. Each doll is inspired by people the artists know, sometimes a combination of individuals. Sitting, slouched, eye’s low, clutching a titty, blowing smoke. The Dollz appear each with a unique personality and story, representing the different moods and intersections. “Everyone wants to see themselves in a doll, whether they admit it or not” Darius says. “As a child, a doll is like a foreshadow of who you want to be. [There’s] always been a lack of diversity in dolls and when they make them diverse, they come out looking goofy. We want to show that you can be beautiful and confident no matter what you look like through our dolls”. Creating dolls made for a Black, adult market is an interesting space to find oneself in. In the same way that dolls geared towards children have served as an introductory form of representation, dolls geared towards adults open up conversations for how we see people and how we want to be seen. “We want to be as authentic as possible” Darius and Dare tell me. “So, dealing with adult themes helps with that. Even if that means some dolls aren’t always in the best moods or doing the most logical thing. Our dolls make mistakes just like adults do. We want to show that they can learn from them too.”

While dolls aren’t a dominating aesthetic right now, the Moreno’s have a distinct visual imprint that’s impossible to ignore. The personality that jumps off the clay, rich colours, dark brown hues and deep, dramatic facial contours make the figures unique to the Dare Dollz universe and hard to ignore where they do pop up. The Dollz have appeared in the cover art for musicians like Goldlink (also from the DMV), Bucky Malone and the O.G Invictus. Darius also led the creative direction on the cover for Goldlinks At What Cost. Although it exists as an illustration, that cover is almost unforgettable, and its rich quality makes the Dare Dollz look so unique.

In the space that exists between history and culture, the Black doll has stood the test of time as a tool of representation and self-actualisation. Where dolls were made without Black people in mind, aesthetics have been manipulated and shifted to create something new. Like so much of Black culture, the doll has reformulated and evolved as to give rise to something that is so unique and separate from its Western origins thus in a way doing the working of denouncing them. Through the doll itself, a kind of counterculture has developed that challenges ideas about Black aesthetics, modernity and beauty. The Dare Dollz, specifically, are created in the image of people, places and scenarios that would never be put into a factory or a shiny pink box. “Dare Dollz aren’t just dolls” Darius explains. “They aren’t just toys, but they can be used as a reminder of how you should view yourself. That doesn’t mean I want people to look exactly like the doll, [just that] our dolls embody style, confidence and pride in whatever it is you’re trying to achieve”.

#Black dolls #black trans women #ballroom #fem queens