Faatimah Solomon

Over the past year, minorities have finally been represented in multiple highly acclaimed movies. Films such as Girls Trip, The Big Sick, and Get Out not only were critically acclaimed and financially successful, but told stories written by and about non-white characters. This representation has been evident in mainstream media beyond film, too...

I was in seventh grade, a twelve-year-old pudgy, buck-toothed, frizzy-haired, acne-prone girl totally oblivious to my supposed physical flaws and shortcomings. I lived in my own sheltered bubble. I went to school, did homework when I got back home, and then played in the backyard with our neighbor’s kid. I went to the library with my mother a lot. Perhaps most informatively, though, I lacked exposure to most media. I watched TV only once a week and seldom watched movies (except for the occasional viewing of Dumbo). This fostered a sense of cluelessness about societal expectations of beauty.