Bex a Girl For All Time is Here!

Bex's first photo was taken while the doll was still safely secured inside the box.

A Girl For All Time Your Modern Girl Bex arrived last week after over a year's wait.  My preorder through the company's crowdfunding campaign was placed in May 2017.  Bex is the company's first and only dark-skinned modern girl.  Maya and Nisha were the first two modern girls.  Elinor is another and was released with Bex.  Their first dolls represent historic girls from different time periods.

Bex's second photograph is a close-up of her face and hair that was taken while the doll was still attached to the box liner with the liner removed from the box.

Bex is described as 16 inches by the manufacturer; however, with her boots on, her height is closer to 17 inches.  She has brown stationary eyes with painted and applied upper eyelashes.  The lower lashes are painted.  She has a very pensive expression.

First Impression

Bex looks quite like the prototype except that the curl pattern of her black natural-textured hair, which is a wig, is not as uniform as I expected.  The hair texture is mixed:  some fibers are defined curls but most of the hair is very coarse and the length varies.  I was expecting more uniform texture and coils throughout.   Photos of the hair as it was when Bex was released from the box are shown next:

This photo and the next four illustrate Bex's hair as it was when she arrived.

Bex wears an off-white lacy blouse that has three-quarter length, cuffed sleeves, a Peter Pan collar, and a royal blue ribbon neck bow.  Her royal blue shorts are lined with white satin-like fabric.  She wears white cotton-blend undies, orange tights, and black lace-up Dr. (Doc) Martens-style boots.  The clothing and shoes are very well made.

Because I was not 100% pleased with Bex's hair, I worked with it until I was satisfied.  First I finger combed it to get an idea of the overall length.  The results of finger combing are illustrated next.

Finger-combed hair

Bex's hair has been finger combed in this photo and in the next two.  It is long on the top and short on the sides and in back.

I tamed the finger combing appearance slightly in this photo and in the next by patting the hair down a bit.

During my fuss over her hair, I decided to undress Bex to see her body construct.  The next photo illustrates her body.

Bex is articulated in the usual five places as well string articulated as at the elbows and knees.  She has a thin but sturdy body.  I am not sure at this time if she can share clothes with any dolls I currently own.  I was thinking maybe she could wear Hearts For Hearts doll clothing, but Bex is not as thin as those dolls and she is about 2 inches taller.

More Hair Management

After examining Bex's body, I decided to twist her hair with the idea that I might give her a boil perm afterward.  The twists from different angles are shown next:

Bex has had her ears pierced, and gold-tone hoops have been added after she briefly wore royal blue studs.  Several small sections of her hair have been twisted.  The twists are shown above and in the next three photographs taken at different vantage points.

A member of my doll group wanted to see a facial comparison photo of Karito Kids Lulu and Bex to determine if Bex could represent Lulu's little sister.  I took and shared the following two photos after Bex's hair had been twisted.

Karito Kids Lulu is 21 inches tall.  She wears American Girl Addy's African Dance outfit.  She could very well be a big sis for Bex.

Bex's Dolly

Bex and her new doll.

Because Bex's hands, when placed together, form the perfect space to hold a small doll, and because of her orange tights, a mini Orange Blossom doll was chosen as her doll.

Bex's doll, a mini Orange Blossom doll, is shown in this photo taken after the doll was purchased at a thrift store in 2016.

Continued Hair Management

Because of the coarse texture of Bex's hair, I decided to skip the boil perm that I briefly considered, which is only done to hold a set.  Bex has strong hair that defies gravity and did not need to be dipped into hot water to set the twists.  Her hair remained twisted for no more than an hour before I untwisted it.  This gave the hair better definition as illustrated next.

Bex's untwisted hair is illustrated in this photo and the next three.

Another Comparison

For those who would like to know how Bex compares size-wise to American Girl dolls, the following photo was taken with Melody Ellison after Bex's hair was untwisted.

American Girl Melody Ellison poses with Bex for a size comparison.

Bex is shorter with a thinner body and smaller feet than American Girl dolls.  She will not be able to wear clothing designed for American Girl and other 18-inch similar-bodied dolls.

Final Look At the Hair

In the next photo, the four phases of Bex's hair are illustrated.

Of the four hairstyles, do you have a favorite?

Bex and I like her hair untwisted.  Her little Orange Blossom mini doll prefers it this way, too.

Overall Assessment

I am pleased with Bex.  I had hoped the production doll's wig would be more like the wig seen in the prototype photos here and here, but as illustrated, I have made it work to my satisfaction.  I appreciate the nice quality clothing and boots and the extra points of articulation.  Bex can also stand without the assistance of a doll stand, which is always an added plus.

For more information about A Girl For All Time dolls, visit their website.

Addendum: 
I was asked the following great question by Betty W. on Facebook:
Thanks for the review of Bex. I have a question. Can she sit with her legs bent? I know she is jointed at the knees but some dolls are strung and when you sit them down the legs will be straight due to the elastic.

My answer:
Unfortunately, no, Betty. Bex's stringing does not allow her to be seated with knees bent.

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