Just the other day,

Barbie unveiled a Zendaya doll complete with an outfit and locs she’d rocked at the Oscars this year. This was in celebration of her open letter in the face of confrontation for the hairstyle she’d chosen. The company chose to honour her for her celebration and defence of her culture with the doll. And Zendaya has responded in a heart-warming Instagram post where she candidly mentions that she would’ve loved (but never had) a representation like that when she was younger.

Though some fans (of Demi and Zendaya alike) were displeased with pop starlet and ex-Disney poster girl Demi Lovato’s ‘riding on the coattails of Zendaya’s moment’ by offering to model a curvier doll and claiming that bigger girls needed representation as well, I believe her offer wasn’t from a place of complete negativity or a desire to hog the limelight.

A candid look on representation and a discussion about body image and portrayal in the media has to be had. And Demi and Zendaya aren’t the only persons who’ve recognised it.

Raven-Symoné has also recently added her bit to the conversation saying that she’d been once made to wear a fatsuit for a television project, because ‘skinny wasn’t in’.

Representation in the media is very important, despite some persons’ refusal to address it. With teen self-esteem rates plummeting and more teens developing unhealthy self-images, no one should underestimate the value of seeing a face on television or in the media that looks like theirs, or a body type that’s similar, or hair that’s like theirs or someone with skin colour like theirs that is celebrated or accomplished.

What wouldn’t I give to have had a Disney princess like Tiana when I was younger? Not that I’d believed my dark skin made me unattractive. But it would’ve just been lovely to see a princess who looked like me. At the ripe age of ten I’d convinced myself that Princess Jasmine (an Arabian princess) was the closest I’d ever get, and I told myself to settle.

Representing different body types and skin colours needn’t belittle others and actually doesn’t, without more, do that. It merely gives a more wholistic view of the diversity the humankind has to offer.

And honestly, if we’re saying that everyone is beautiful or worthy then we need to put our money where our mouth is, lest it begin to appear that we believe that only some people are beautiful or comely.