I recently saw this video clip from an episode of Sesame Street that aired a few years ago. The little muppet girl is singing gleefully about how much she loves her hair. Adorable, right?
While I’m not claiming to be an expert on children’s television shows, this is one of the more inclusive messages I’ve seen. I know they try and teach you to share, not to yell when you’re upset, and that everyone is wrong sometimes. However, seeing a song dedicated to young, Black girls about embracing what they were born with being broadcast nationally is new to me.
The song was written was the previous head writer of Sesame Street, Joey Mazzarino, who has an adopted Ethiopian daughter. Mazzarino is Italian, and noticed the way his daughter reacted to the influx of European centered media. In an interview with NPR, Mazzarino said that his daughter wanted long, bouncy, blonde hair. He made a point to assure her that her hair was great the way it was, and that there were plenty of things she could do that he, or someone with long, blonde hair couldn’t.
In the video, the little girl happily sings about how versatile her hair is while the puppet dances around showcasing all the different natural styles you can don as a women of color. Twists, braids, or a good ol’ natural afro are all shown.
It’s so important to teach our Black girls at a young age that they are just fine the way that they are. Staying silent makes media the loudest influence, and the unequal positive representation for women of color is not the voice you want your children to hear.
Young, Black girls, you are perfect the way you are. You don’t need fair skin, a slender nose, narrow hips, or straight hair to be beautiful. The way you naturally are is just fine. You should love your hair, too.
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