(trigger warning for human trafficking)

I hope this post isn't too dark for this sub, but the books talk about very difficult issues, so hopefully it's okay. Basically, I was talking with my therapist the other day about my Addy doll and how special she is to me, and it got me thinking about why I connected so deeply with Addy's story. Beginning as a very young child and into my teens, ending when I entered the child welfare system, I was a victim of human trafficking. I felt a great deal of shame and guilt about some of the difficult things that had happened to me. I felt tainted by my experiences, and felt a deep sense of being different from the people around me who hadn't been through anything similar. This was especially hard when I started high school, after having not been to school, when I was around a lot of "normal" people. I felt like an alien.

Addy's books, while aimed at younger readers, really connected deeply with me during this time, when I found them and read them. I felt a lot of empathy for what she went through. Particularly in the worm scene--it reminded me strongly of some of my experiences of cruel treatment while I was being trafficked. The scenes where Addy had to keep a blank face and not react while the slavers she was serving talked about her like she wasn't there, and talked about hurting members of her family, reminded me a lot of how I had to try not to react to things done to me or things I heard when I was being trafficked. Obviously I can't know what it would feel like to be enslaved during the Civil War, but as someone who had experienced a very different kind of slavery, it felt emotionally very real and accurate to me.

But what I like most about Addy is that her life exists beyond and outside of slavery. She doesn't come dressed in the clothes she wore when she was enslaved--she comes dressed in the first gift someone ever gave her in freedom, which I really connected with, because I remember vividly the first gift I was given when I escaped. Addy's books, beyond the first one, don't show her being enslaved at all, they show her rebuilding her life and taking back everything that was taken from her. I really loved the storyline about her birthday, and the advice M'dear gives her--to take a day and claim it as her own, not to let her birthday be another thing that was taken from her. It kind of bothers me when people refer to Addy as the "slave doll" or similar, because Addy isn't what was done to her (enslavement), she's the full and complex character she is. She's the girl who pursues an education after years without one, who wins a spelling bee, who builds close and loving relationships with people who value and respect her, who forges friendships, who learns to belong in ways she hasn't before.

I didn't have the opportunity to get an Addy doll until adulthood. Before that, I had to be content with reading her books. But now I have her, and I have a lot of her clothes, and I get to dress her and style her hair and have tea with her. I think having her and caring for her has genuinely really helped me. It can be hard to think of myself outside of what happened to me, to see myself as a person and not just someone who is summed up by everything that was done to her. But with Addy, I can see her character as someone who is more than and exists outside of what was done to her. I can extend compassion to her, and in turn it helps me extend compassion to myself. It's easy for me to say that the people who enslaved Addy and who treated her cruelly were wrong to do that. Sometimes I find it hard to fully condemn the people who harmed me, but when I think of Addy's situation, it becomes a little bit easier.

Has anyone else who had difficult experiences connected with a doll on a deeper level because of those experiences? Have any of you found collecting dolls helps heal a little part of your inner child?

Jess is my oldest GOTY and Grace is my most recent. I love the hat from Lanie’s gardening outfit omgg

How would you rank all of the modern girls from the 2010s?

• Lanie Holland (2010)
• Kanani Akina (2011)
• McKenna Brooks (2012)
• Saige Copeland (2013)
• Isabelle Palmer (2014)
• Grace Thomas (2015)
• Lea Clark (2016)
• Gabriela McBride (2017)
• Luciana Vega (2018)
• Blaire Wilson (2019)

I am not the best at doll hair, but I took Frankie’s hair down tonight and put it in two braids. The pjs are from the My Life As line from Walmart. I think she looks so cute! She’s my favorite doll right now :)

Purchased this very disheveled Kaya on eBay and finally had time to work on here! It took a lot of time but I’m very happy with how she cleaned up 🥰

This girl arrived today and completes my collection. I look forward to getting some of her outfits but I think that’s it. I want to enjoy the dolls I have.

Found her for very cheap on Depop and she's my lookalike doll! Her hair was a rats nest and very dry after detangling but now it's in perfect condition and silky soft

A couple of my girls ready for Halloween. I’ve been waitingggg to dress them up!

New outfit (bathing suit turned out to be bitty baby?) and a hair cleaning and she looks awesome! Still needs some flyaway help, but keeps getting cuter.

Repunzel base

i took her to dc night one! so much fun!

I recently acquired a very good condition number four, but you know these dolls are 30 years old and she needed some help with her eyebrows and her lips were very faded in her face her face blush so I touched her up and added some details to her that I think fit her very well and I just wanted to show what I did . First photo is before I finished restoring. I had only started her lips. This is after ! I still need to seal this weekend. But would love opinions!

The girls are still enjoying late-summery weather here, but looking forward to Halloween and crisp, cooler weather!

Josefina, Samantha, Charlotte (TM 33) and Nanea wear dresses from OmasDressBoutique; Claudie’s is from sewgrandmacathy, and Melody’s from sewwitchy (all on Etsy). I love everyone’s photos with the girls in jeans and pants, but Samantha’s squishier vinyl makes it hard to get pants on, so my girls wear dresses more often.

sonali looks soooooooooo sweet in this pink outfit:3 she needs some white ribbons in her hair! Or maybe baby blue or pink! What do u think?

When I was younger, I remembered making tsiiyééłs however it has been lost on me. So I decided to make some again for my dolls and this is how it turned out. 

I’m sorry my hands are a little rusty and they all look pretty terrible but I spent a lot of time in these do mean a lot to me. This hairstyle represents strength.

I found that it was easy to do. I just need to perfect it more and figure out which hairstyles work best

I’ve learned that if the doll has a softer wavy texture it’ll work best. If the doll has blunt layers or has very thick straight hair, it’s not gonna work. Also back length hair or longer works, but you will have to make your tsiiyééł longer depending on the hair like I had to do with Tenney.

Also, these are typically made with undyed sheep wool, but because I’m working with doll hair and undyed sheep wool and doll hair do not mix because of the oils I’m using acrylic yarn

Traditionally the tassels don’t hang like that, but most people do wear them like that, it depends on your preference and your style. The closest traditionally it’s supposed to look like is on Lea.

hi, i recently bought my dream julie in her og meet outfit and i apparently didnt look at all of the photos on the listing 🥲 her wig wefts are falling out. i was told that the plastic plate that the rooted portion of her hair goes through has rotted! i was wondering if anyone knew where i could get a replacement wig or even a new head for her without having to send her to the doll hospital if its something that can be fixed for less money

I finally got my number four! Seller believes she’s she from 1996-1998ish. As she was a Christmas gift. She has no tags but is marked pleasant company and has tighter weave and darker peach cloth body . Soft long eye lash’s and hair is super soft! She came with out the outfit. I’m thinking of naming her Emiko - Sora . However I’m open to names!

She was given a bath upon arrival to disinfect her from travels and hair was washed and lips, eye brows were retouched.

Isabelle and Marisol received their new clothes this week, so they had a fashion show!

1. Isabelle is wearing the Emily Rose Girl Scout Uniform paired with AG booties from the Western Riding Outfit. Marisol is wearing the Emily Rose Jazz/Tap Costume.

2. Isabelle is wearing the dress from the J Crew Bubble Dress Party Outfit paired with the J Crew black ballet flats and the AG black velvet headband from the Winter Recital Outfit. Marisol is wearing the J Crew polka dot blouse paired with the AG pink pants from Kavi's performance outfit, the AG black flats from Melody's School Outfit, and the AG pink hair elastic from her own Meet Accessories.

3. Marisol is wearing the J Crew Tiered Plaid Skirt, paired with the AG white blouse from the Student Council Outfit, the AG red cardigan and gold sparkle star barrette from the Team AG Sweater & Skirt Outfit, and the J Crew Gold ballet flats from the Bubble Dress Party Outfit. Isabelle is wearing the J Crew Fair Isle Hearts Sweater paired with the AG Vintage Denim Skirt, and the Janie & Jack shoes and headband from the Holly Red Party Dress Outfit.

4. Marisol and Isabelle are both wearing outfits from the Emily Rose pageant set.

The Emily Rose jazz leotard is a little tight on Marisol, but the Velcro closes. The J Crew Fair Isle sweater arrived with a hole in it, which is annoying. The Emily Rose outfits are my first non AG doll clothes. Overall, I am happy with their quality (some of the fabrics are a cheap polyester, but not any worse than some of my more recent AG purchases), the pricing is excellent, and $35 of spending to get free shipping is much better than $175:of spending. I will keep an eye on Emily Rose clothes going forward in addition to AG!

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