A new controversy has surfaced on our feeds. The Natasha doll trend revolves around a baby-shaped squeeze or stress-relief toy that some users, particularly on Chinese social media platforms, film themselves squeezing, slapping, stretching and roughly handling. What makes this so disturbing is that the doll is often dark-skinned, resembling an innocent Black baby.
Okayafrica was one of the first platforms to unearth Natasha, showcasing content creators violently manipulating the doll, often to the point of destroying the toy. Even more troubling, video footage highlighted by the outlet suggested that similar abusive behavior may be occurring with real children in Africa.
Why Do People Find It Offensive?
Commentators who have seen the videos, many of which reportedly originated on China’s tightly controlled social media platforms, say the toy often features exaggerated physical characteristics that evoke a long history of racial caricatures.
There are influencers using the dolls as entertainment, creating content centered on abusing them in ways that can appear to normalize the dehumanization of dark-skinned people. Add in captions and jokes that reinforce racial stereotypes, and the trend begins to feel intentionally racist.
“What troubles me most about the Natasha doll trend is not the doll itself but what it signals to our children. When Black children repeatedly see images that resemble them being beaten, mutilated, and discarded for entertainment, that becomes internalized,” shared Dr. Elizabeth Dania, a psychiatric and adult nurse practitioner in Jamaica, New York. “It does not just pass through them. It shapes how they see themselves and how they believe the world sees them.”
Why Is the Trend Even Happening?
The Natasha doll trend, like many forms of violent content disguised as harmless fun, is driven by engagement. Shock value often performs well on social media, and algorithms reward videos that elicit strong reactions and encourage repeat viewing. As a result, content creators often push boundaries further, creating increasingly extreme scenarios to keep audiences watching.
While it’s difficult to prove that the Natasha doll was originally designed to provoke racial tension, the way it is being used has pushed it into offensive territory. Some argue that people should calm down because it’s “just a toy.” But given the doll’s appearance, many viewers find it difficult to separate the racial implications from the entertainment value.
Is This Really Playing Out in Real Life?
A 2022 BBC investigation uncovered a network in which a Chinese national in Malawi allegedly paid African children to perform scripted videos for Chinese social media audiences. According to the report, children appeared in disturbing content where they were chased, manhandled, or instructed to say degrading phrases without understanding their meaning.
While this does not establish a direct connection, many observers see parallels to the real-world exploitation of Black children and this new disturbing Natasha doll fad.
Underlying both controversies is a longstanding racist myth that Black people experience less pain. The Natasha doll trend, along with the alleged abuse documented in Africa, appears to reinforce this false narrative. Together, they point to a deeper issue: the continued dehumanization of Black people for entertainment and profit.
Why the Natasha Doll Should Be Stopped
“The Natasha Doll trend is not an anomaly. It is a mirror. When the world selects a Black child’s image as its preferred object of violence, it confirms what Black beauty professionals have always known: that the dehumanization of Black people does not begin with a fist,” stated Corey Huggins, founder of Ready to Beauty, an organization that preserves and promotes Black beauty and culture.
“It begins with permission — the slow cultural permission granted every time Black features are rendered ugly, Black bodies made expendable, Black children taught that the world sees them as less than worthy of care. The beauty industry does not operate outside that world. It is shaped by it,” he continued.
“Every product line that properly excludes dark skin, every campaign that erases natural texture and styles, every standard that rewards proximity to whiteness — these are the touch points of the same imagination that chose the Black doll to stomp on. Beauty has always been political for Black people. What the Natasha Doll makes plain is that it remains dangerous.”