A mom has shared proof of the importance of representation in popular culture after her young daughter had an adorable reaction to seeing something familiar on an animated TV show.
Shared on TikTok by mom Nika Diwa under the handle @nikadiwa, the magical moment her daughter saw herself represented on the TV has been viewed over 4.3 million times.
Watching an episode of Rise Up, Sing Out, an animated musical series, the young girl is thrilled when she sees the character wearing a hair bonnet for bedtime.
@nikadiwa/TikTok
“She refused to wear her bonnet until she saw this. This is why representation matters,” Diwa said in the video.
The featured episode, titled “Celebrating Black Hair Care in Song,” centers around friends Taniya, Shawna, and So-Hyeon sharing their bedtime routine to protect their natural curly-textured hair with their friend Amelia during a sleepover. The storyline emphasizes the importance of embracing and caring for diverse hair types, particularly those with textured hair.
In the heartwarming footage, the young girl saw the cartoon and said, “She looks like me,” before doing a happy dance in front of the TV.
Bonnets play a crucial role in textured hair care, including minimizing friction and breakage. They also help in preventing frizz and tangling during sleep and retaining the natural moisture of the hair to protect it from drying out.
In 1983, Boston University professor F. Earle Barcus analyzed over 1,100 characters in 20 children’s television programs and found that only 3.8 percent were black, with just 4.2 percent of others belonging to a group other than white.
However, the importance of representation in popular culture is well documented. In 2011, a longitudinal panel survey of 396 white and black children analyzed the effects of television consumption on self-esteem.
The survey found that seeing themselves represented on TV gave children a self-esteem boost, but that representations can also negatively impact young people, particularly when the young people who look like them are depicted doing something wrong.
In thousands of comments, people reacted to the visual impact of representation.
“‘She looks like me’ – the way that went straight to my soul. It matters so much,” posted Aimee in the comments.
Dina agreed and wrote: “More proof that representation matters.”
“I wish we had representation like this growing up,” commented Aubrayon, and another user agreed: “Oh my heart just melted that’s so sweet! Broke my heart too though. Stuff like this is so important for their confidence.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.