I Love My Hair! What Does It Mean To Be "Beautiful"?

I came across yet another Sesame Street video and while it's of course adorable, I find that it sends a strong message to everyone from little kids to grown adults. Last year, I took an ICS class called, "Women of Color" -meaning all women of minority groups and it opened my eyes to so many views. Growing up, what did I, along with so many other little girls, see as beautiful?

One word: Barbie. Practically every little girl grows up with at least one Barbie doll whom we love and adore -but does she look like us? Mine sure didn't. My Barbies were all white with the prettiest long blonde hair. This of course is in no offense to Caucasians but I'm just saying, she did not look like me but I always wanted to look like her. (Wow I sound like Heidi Montag.) I didn't understand why my skin was darker than Barbie's, why my eyes weren't blue, or why my hair wasn't blonde.

This video gives such a strong, powerful voice to that little girl inside me from over 10 years ago. Sure I'm not African American but I think the video sends a powerful message to anyone who feels that they don't fit into that "mold." I now accept how I look and have grown to like my differences but I know that those "unique" differences can be difficult to accept as a kid. My little sister has told me that she's too "fat" or dark and I get really upset because I want her to know that she's perfect just the way she is. This Sesame Street video explains that we are great just the way we are in such a simple, but powerful way.

So, hooray for differences! I think people of all sizes, skin, hair, and eye colors are beautiful in their own way. We need to remember that we don't need to fit into a certain mold. We're perfect just the way we are.