Sonia Singh is a mother and artist from Tasmania, off the southeastern tip of Australia.  Sonia is also an artist that rescues second-hand Bratz dolls.  She calls her new creations “Tree Change Dolls” because of the radically different look she gives the formerly sexualized dolls.

Her re-creations have generated a lot of support, to Singh’s great surprise.  She now has Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Etsy accounts dedicated to this project.  A Today Show blog post reported that “within hours of the auction launch for two dolls — one brunette doll in a sweater vest and jeans, and a blonde figure in a knit sweater and pencil skirt — each collected bids exceeding $79 USD,” an indication of how hungry parents are for toys that do not encourage the sexualization of young girls.

Singh’s creations have gotten the attention of the media too. Today Parents has a blog post about the project as well as Time Magazine. Daily Life, an Australian website, interviewed Singh, and the interview gives greater insight into her motivations regarding Tree Change Dolls.

I think that Sonia Singh is a hero. She has quietly and creatively made a statement about the worth of individuals, particularly children, by erasing with her acetone and eucalyptus oil the ugly creations of people who prefer money over the innocence of female children. Without waving a flag, she has struck a victory for all those who will no longer tolerate the debasing of our most valued resource – our children.

I am baffled by the success of movies and other media that turn children and adults into commodities that can be sold. Most turn a blind eye to this travesty, but others, like Sonia Singh, quietly stand against it. In a society that supposedly stands for the rights of individuals why do we allow swimsuit calendars, sexualized toys, movies about bondage and abuse, and other forms of objectification of women?

I salute Sonia Singh.