One of the reasons I love VL is because our readers pass us such great info. Yesterday we were informed of a film that impacted me as a Latina mami and mujer. The short film, A Girl Like Me, explores the standards of beauty and the messages that society is sending to black girls. The 7 minute piece directed by Kiri Davis and featured at the last Tribeca Film Festival features interviews with black girls talking honestly about their skin color and hair texture and what they were taught was beautiful compared what they thought themselves to be. While watching children all shades of brown choosing a white baby doll as good and a darker baby doll as bad and identifying with the darker doll was sad and horrifying it wasn’t surprising.

While the film specifically frames the issues of beauty standards and self esteem in a black context, it is key to remember that many Latinas are also black and vice-versa. Additionally as Latinas and indeed as women of color in general we are subject to be judged by the same standards discussed in the film. How many of us Latinas grew up hearing about babies que eran claritos with fine features and pelo bueno being cooed over? How many of us Latinas were told we had bad hair or were taught to use skin lightening cream? Watching the novelas at night reminded us that the girl who always ended up with the man and the money was the light skinned one while the one with indigenous or African features was left in the background sweeping the floors?

The film is powerful, no doubt and should be shown to our sisters and our daughters and be used as a jumping off point for discussion and change.

Check out A Girl Like Me here.

Mil gracias to Eleonor for sending us the link.