11-year-old who got sick of reading about white boys and dogs launches a book drive to find 1000 books featuring Black female protagonists

Thanks, in this is a tangle of complex issues, it's easy to forget and nice to consider how they really affect people directly.

I have friends of color that were raised on Disney and grew up wishing they were white with blonde hair and blue eyes which is really unhealthy

Approaching Michael Jackson levels of dysmorphia. A few Caucasians ape gangster culture, but beyond slang, mannerisms and dress they don't AFAIK try and become black (maybe some mentally ill). Fewer boys aspire to Disney princeliness than many girls to be like Disney princesses.

mainstream media ... constantly reinforce the idea that blond hair, blue eyes is the apex of human beauty

Entirely understandable as e.g. Tiger Woods syndrome, but also baffling. There's such a variety of natural beauty, it seems weirdly perverse to focus so narrowly on a few specific individual attributes. A person who can't see beauty all over, seems almost disabled, like colorblind. This seems at least partly cultural or learned, since individual tastes seem varied. One absolute standard of beauty may be a myth.

even many whites people with dark hair/eyes internalize this message as well

Even silly jokes like Gingers have no souls or Blondes have more fun, can seem a little malicious. Asians joke about American asians being yellow outside and white inside. I'd bet blacks and others have similar.

It's healthy for children to build a positive association with their looks.

Agreed, and wish the young girl and her mother success in that common endeavor. You'll probably agree it's healthy to have positive associations with themselves too, in a word confidence. For children maybe a little younger her, Sesame street seems like a good diverse show. Her initiative should become a good resource for others.

/r/books Thread Parent Link - jezebel.com