Playing in the Dollhouse: "The Souls of Black Girls"

"I'm fat. I'm too skinny. I'd be happy if I were shorter, taller, had long thick hair, curly hair, a smaller nose, bigger butt, longer legs." 

Do any of these statements sound familiar? 

How has the media affected you, a family member, or a friend? Thanks to DC Ambassadoll, Sharonda Lee, we viewed "The Souls of Black Girls" documentary for women and young women in the community. Self-image is a major topic when it comes to women and many of them try to look like the girls in the media or how a guy thinks they should look. 


"The Souls of Black Girls" is a provocative news documentary that takes a critical look at media images, how they are instituted, established and controlled. The documentary also examines the relationship between the historical and existing media images of women of color and raises the question of whether they may be suffering from a self-image disorder as a result of trying to attain the standards of beauty that are celebrated in media images.

The documentary features candid interviews with young women discussing their self-image and social commentary from Actresses Regina King and Jada Pinkett Smith, PBS Washington Week Moderator Gwen Ifill, Rapper/Political Activist Chuck D, and Cultural Critic Michaela Angela Davis, among others. "The Souls of Black Girls" is a piece that attempts to provoke honest dialogue and critical thinking among women of color about media images and our present condition—internally and externally.

My donated So In Style (S.I.S.) doll, Truchelle! Isn't she cute??