While the greater media seems to be surprised by the positive reaction Of young Black girls and mature Black women to the Sesame Street YouTube clip, I Love My Hair, most are missing the real issue. Young Black girls are desperate for positive images about themselves that reaffirms their natural beauty. Young Black girls are bombarded with media images in magazines at the grocery checkout counter, bill boards and television commercials that glorify straight blond hair in combination with milky white skin.
Even mature Black women are taken with the Sesame Street video that reminds them of the struggles they had had growing up in a world that overtly says that there is something wrong with having curly hair and dark skin. Its vitally important that we tell our children daily just how beautiful they really are with curly hair and a beautiful brown complexion, so they can grow up secure and confident in who they really are. Just maybe this change in attitude will help Black women redirect some of the over $10 billion they spend annually on their daughters and themselves trying to straighten, color or altering their natural beauty.
What do you think?
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