Dolls can be our friends and sometimes even mirrors. In addition, dolls can serve as someone’s alter ego or agent. In the 1840s in the US with slavery still in place, nameless black women made dolls using black and brown fabric. Given that the prevalent form of dolls produced at that time was a fair-skinned, blond woman with blue eyes, the rag dolls with different shapes and patterns seemed strange. Combining black and white, and beautiful princesses and ugly maids, they reflected the confusion experienced by black women who worked for white families. Like Dolls, I’ll Rise presents Deborah Neff’s collection of rag dolls and seeks to break the silence of society still tied to the standards of beauty created by racial discrimination. The rough texture and rugged appearance of the rag dolls convey how those black women perceived themselves. Although inscribed with countless discourses, the bodies of the rag dolls are sealed, upon which the women’s cries and whispers intersect. With regards to the dignified and beautiful body that no one can degrade, the rag dolls have long been giving us courage. [KWON Semi]