I want to know what kind of a world we live in where it’s ok to make young girls the victim of our socially generated definition of beauty. It’s cruel, it’s unfair, and it’s just plain unnecessary. As adults we are in control of ourselves. We choose what to eat, and whether or not to diet, and as a result we are often told what is healthy and what is not as far as those decisions go; but what about a child? They can’t choose to dye their hair or change their name to escape the outcast feelings they may have.
Today I was literally almost brought to tears as I overheard a conversation between a young girl no more than six years old and her father at a Halloween store. The little girl in question was black, thin, and had beautifully curly hair that was done up in braids. As our paths crossed while looking at Halloween costumes, I heard her say, “Daddy, I don’t like these costumes.” Bewildered, the father asked, “Why not honey?” and the little girl responded without hesitation, “ Well, all the girls in these costumes have straight hair. I can’t have hair like that.” And without a moment’s hesitation, my heart clenched beneath my ribcage and inevitably caused me to blurt out instantaneously, “Curly hair is much prettier. Everyone wants curly hair.” I smiled at the girl as she looked up at me innocently. Her father looked at me with a face that seemed to say, “thanks for the input, but no thanks,” and turned to her and said, “Curly hair is pretty sweetie…now let’s look over here for more costumes, these aren’t for little girls anyway.” The man proceeded to lead the girl away in another direction, away from the pictures that started it all. The little girl allowed herself to be led away, uttering no more words of question, just simply putting her head down eyes fixated on the blankness of the linoleum floor. I bit my lip in frustration for not being sure if I should have said anything at all. I felt sorry for the girl as she walked away. Poor thing. I felt that she needed to be enlightened on what real beauty was, and I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to get that speech from her father.
The experience at hand caused me to reflect a bit on how we perceive ourselves and how it differentiates from how others perceive us. I can’t recall how many times I’ve compared myself to the likes of a woman in an ad on T.V. or in a magazine and thought to myself, “I want to look like that” with a sigh of discontent. Why does that feeling of dissatisfaction or need for comparisons outweigh the honest and heartfelt compliments that are issued to us by other people in our lives? How does that seem logical?
All in all I think it’s about time to bring back the original dove beauty campaign. Yet I feel the need to expand farther out into the world that just bath and body / beauty products. I’m talking models, displays, art, etc. It’s not enough to just talk about these things its time to do. Because actions will always speak louder than words.
☮ ♥ & ♫
☮ ♥ & ♫
