Sometimes I read an article that demands: WE need MORE DIVERSITY!
There are also those posts with colorful charts to show the
tiny percentage of covers representing people of diversity. There’s outrage
over a book with a clearly dark-skinned main character who has been lightened a
few shades like a tooth-whitening commercial.
Then silence.
Author Ellen Oh has decided to do more.
Here’s her Tumbler campaign LINK.
This is a 3-day campaign with something new each day. I hope
you participate.
Even though I’m not a person of color, I in a very small way
remember not feeling represented as a child and teen.
I noticed when most of the superheroes in cartoons were men.
I remember reading Beverly Cleary’s Fifteen. When I realized the girl in the book had short, dark curly hair
that frizzed, I did a double-take. Then why did the girl on the cover have
blonde hair? Why couldn’t she look like she was supposed to look? Was having
brown curly short hair really THAT BAD?
And I think her eyes
were brown in the book too.
I had brown curly hair and brown eyes. And I paid attention
to what the media showed me. When I grew up, blondes with blue eyes ruled and
brunettes played the sidekick. Those blondes had straight or wavy hair. "Three’s
Company" was just one example.
And don’t even get me started on Barbie. By the time they
made a brunette version, I’d outgrown playing with dolls.
If there was a brunette who broke the mold, I noticed. Everyone knew that Farah
Fawcett ruled Charlie’s Angels, but at least Jacqueline Smith wasn’t a
sidekick. Wonder Woman and Princess Leia gave me powerful brunettes. Sigourney
Weaver was not only a powerful woman, but she also carried the movie.
Then Flashdance came out—a woman with curly hair was the
attractive star.
(Didn’t they do a terrible job with the stunt-double’s curly
hair?)
As a girl of European descent, if I felt like that with many
representations of people like me on billboards and TV shows and books, then
what do Asian, Indian, Muslim, Native American, African American, and Hispanic
youth think when they see covers of books?
Where are they?
I was a kid a looonnnng time ago.
So much has changed.
Let our stories and our covers finally reflect us in all our
varied glory.
Speaking of, before I heard about this campaign, I had
chosen early May to promote Medeia Sharif’s new book. Two years ago, she was on
my BLOG for Bestest Ramadan Ever.
My picture for Ellen's campaign.
I'm not wearing makeup, but it's all about the cover,
right???
Now Snip, Snip Revenge
is OUT! Perfect timing for Ellen Oh’s campaign.
SNIP, SNIP REVENGE by Medeia Sharif
YA Contemporary, Evernight Teen
Release Date April 25, 2014
Beautiful,
confident Tabby Karim has plans for the winter: nab a role in her school’s
dramatic production, make the new boy Michael hers, and keep bigoted
Heather—with her relentless Ay-rab comments—at bay. When a teacher’s lie and
her father’s hastiness rob her of her beautiful hair, her dreams are dashed.
The fastest barber in Miami Beach has made her look practically
bald.
With all her
pretty hair gone, Tabby doesn’t believe she fits the feminine role she’s
auditioning for. Michael is still interested in her, but he’s playing it cool.
Heather has taken to bullying her online, which is easier to do with Tabby’s
ugly haircut. Tabby spearheads Operation Revenge, which proves satisfying until
all of her problems deepen. After messing up, she sets to make things right.
Author
Bio
I’m a
Kurdish-American author
who was born in New York City, and I presently call Miami my
home. I received
my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic
University. After becoming
a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer
dabbling in many
genres in college, I found my niche writing for young
people. Today I'm a MG
and YA writer published through various presses. In addition
to being a writer,
I'm a middle school English teacher. My memberships include
Mensa, ALAN, and
SCBWI.
Find Medeia
Join Medeia's giveaway to celebrate the release of
her latest novel.
