"Sesame Street" has always been about learning. But one particular muppet is getting tremendous praise for her latest lesson; teaching young, black girls that their hair is beautiful just the way it is

The viral video of a brown Muppet, meant to represent an African-American girl, singing, "I really, really, really love my hair" has been visited by a quarter of a million people on YouTube. The video, which has made many people smile, was inspired by one father's love for his daughter.

Joey Mazzarino, the head writer at "Sesame Street," who is also a puppeteer, adopted a little girl from Ethiopia named Segi.

"She's like my little muse," Mazzarino said.

As Mazzarino and his wife watched their daughter grow, he noticed a change when she started playing with Barbies. Segi started saying negative things about herself and her own hair.

"She was going through this phase where she really wanted like the long, blonde hair. ... She would look at Barbies and really want the hair."

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/...d=11908940

[Edited 10/19/10 8:25am]

Bravo!

But I can see the attacks mounting from a mile away.

I was very happy to see this character. Long, long overdue--to the point where it made national headlines.

Hair is WAY more important that most people realise.

StillGotIt said:

I was very happy to see this character. Long, long overdue--to the point where it made national headlines.

I totally agree.

Now, can someone please alert Brangelina?

SCNDLS said:

Now, can someone please alert Brangelina?

ZombieKitten said:

SCNDLS said:

Now, can someone please alert Brangelina?

She's such a cute lil girl but they just keep her hair a mess.

[Edited 10/19/10 18:58pm]

SCNDLS said:

ZombieKitten said:

She's such a cute lil girl but they just keep her hair a mess.

[Edited 10/19/10 18:58pm]

I betcha they are resisting - they are bound to know people saying that about poor little Zahara.

Just like the masses complained about Lourdes eyebrows, and once she reached a certain age, ie read the criticism herself (yikes! poor child), voila, trip to the eyebrow shop

ZombieKitten said:

SCNDLS said:

She's such a cute lil girl but they just keep her hair a mess.

[Edited 10/19/10 18:58pm]

I betcha they are resisting - they are bound to know people saying that about poor little Zahara.

Just like the masses complained about Lourdes eyebrows, and once she reached a certain age, ie read the criticism herself (yikes! poor child), voila, trip to the eyebrow shop

Yep, but she's a teenager now and could tweeze them herself. Funny that you mention Madonna, cuz I was thinking how you never see ANY of her kids looking a mess. Mercy's hair is always combed.

Zahara has probably already noticed the difference in her hair and that of those around her and probably already longs for that type of hair. Almost every black girl I know with kinky hair, myself included, went through this rite of passage. At least most of us had mamas to help us through that. I can only imagine how it must be to deal with this without someone who can relate offering guidance.

SCNDLS said:

ZombieKitten said:

I betcha they are resisting - they are bound to know people saying that about poor little Zahara.

Just like the masses complained about Lourdes eyebrows, and once she reached a certain age, ie read the criticism herself (yikes! poor child), voila, trip to the eyebrow shop

Yep, but she's a teenager now and could tweeze them herself. Funny that you mention Madonna, cuz I was thinking how you never see ANY of her kids looking a mess. Mercy's hair is always combed.

Zahara has probably already noticed the difference in her hair and that of those around her and probably already longs for that type of hair. Almost every black girl I know with kinky hair, myself included, went through this rite of passage. At least most of us had mamas to help us through that. I can only imagine how it must be to deal with this without someone who can relate offering guidance.

I thought it was kind of nice that Lourdes wasn't pushed into doing it earlier than was age appropriate actually. She was just a kid

madonna is likely surrounded by style gurus, being a style icon, she'd have an expert on call for everything

Brangelina seem a little more bohemian, I mean look at Brad's hideous goat beard most of the time!

It would be nice for Z to have a style role model/helper

ZombieKitten said:

SCNDLS said:

Yep, but she's a teenager now and could tweeze them herself. Funny that you mention Madonna, cuz I was thinking how you never see ANY of her kids looking a mess. Mercy's hair is always combed.

Zahara has probably already noticed the difference in her hair and that of those around her and probably already longs for that type of hair. Almost every black girl I know with kinky hair, myself included, went through this rite of passage. At least most of us had mamas to help us through that. I can only imagine how it must be to deal with this without someone who can relate offering guidance.

I thought it was kind of nice that Lourdes wasn't pushed into doing it earlier than was age appropriate actually. She was just a kid

madonna is likely surrounded by style gurus, being a style icon, she'd have an expert on call for everything

Brangelina seem a little more bohemian, I mean look at Brad's hideous goat beard most of the time!

It would be nice for Z to have a style role model/helper

Agreed! I bet Mo could totally relate about that unibrow since she's got one too.

As for Brad, I don't expect him to know any better, he's a man.

But Angie usually looks pretty fly even when she dresses down. And as a female and her mother, I kinda expect her to know how this could possibly impact her self-image and self-esteem negatively. This isn't like dressing Shiloh in boy clothes or whatever.

SCNDLS said:

ZombieKitten said:

I thought it was kind of nice that Lourdes wasn't pushed into doing it earlier than was age appropriate actually. She was just a kid

madonna is likely surrounded by style gurus, being a style icon, she'd have an expert on call for everything

Brangelina seem a little more bohemian, I mean look at Brad's hideous goat beard most of the time!

It would be nice for Z to have a style role model/helper

Agreed! I bet Mo could totally relate about that unibrow since she's got one too.

As for Brad, I don't expect him to know any better, he's a man.

But Angie usually looks pretty fly even when she dresses down. And as a female and her mother, I kinda expect her to know how this could possibly impact her self-image and self-esteem negatively. This isn't like dressing Shiloh in boy clothes or whatever.

she does! but she is blessed she looks stylish in baseball cap and pony tail!

I wish I could rock the no bangs pulled back hair, but I have a sloping forehead

shiloh that will never matter, who cares if a girl dresses as a boy, god help them if their son wanted to be a princess however

ZombieKitten said:

SCNDLS said:

Agreed! I bet Mo could totally relate about that unibrow since she's got one too.

As for Brad, I don't expect him to know any better, he's a man.

But Angie usually looks pretty fly even when she dresses down. And as a female and her mother, I kinda expect her to know how this could possibly impact her self-image and self-esteem negatively. This isn't like dressing Shiloh in boy clothes or whatever.

she does! but she is blessed she looks stylish in baseball cap and pony tail!

I wish I could rock the no bangs pulled back hair, but I have a sloping forehead

shiloh that will never matter, who cares if a girl dresses as a boy, god help them if their son wanted to be a princess however

True. I don't get why the media even comments on how Shiloh dresses, like it's a crisis or some shit.

My lil cousin, who is 8 and now lives with me, wears jeans and tennis shoes to school everyday. I think little girls now know how limitting dresses can be on the playground. Hope that doesn't mean she's gonna be a lesbian.

SCNDLS said:

ZombieKitten said:

she does! but she is blessed she looks stylish in baseball cap and pony tail!

I wish I could rock the no bangs pulled back hair, but I have a sloping forehead

shiloh that will never matter, who cares if a girl dresses as a boy, god help them if their son wanted to be a princess however

True. I don't get why the media even comments on how Shiloh dresses, like it's a crisis or some shit.

My lil cousin, who is 8 and now lives with me, wears jeans and tennis shoes to school everyday. I think little girls now know how limitting dresses can be on the playground. Hope that doesn't mean she's gonna be a lesbian.

I'm glad school uniforms here for little kids don't force little girls to wear dresses any more, they can wear shorts or track pants just like the boys

ZombieKitten said:

SCNDLS said:

True. I don't get why the media even comments on how Shiloh dresses, like it's a crisis or some shit.

My lil cousin, who is 8 and now lives with me, wears jeans and tennis shoes to school everyday. I think little girls now know how limitting dresses can be on the playground. Hope that doesn't mean she's gonna be a lesbian.

I'm glad school uniforms here for little kids don't force little girls to wear dresses any more, they can wear shorts or track pants just like the boys

Unfortunately, they don't wear unis in my school district. Thank God she's easy to deal with wardrobe-wise and she's not at all prissy.

We keep her natural hair braided. She's rocking the cutest faux-hawk with zig-zag braids on both sides, right now. EVERYWHERE we go, white folks compliment her hair. On more than one occassion, when I pulled up to pick her up at school, I've seen teachers playing in her hair. She LOVES all the attention. I wish my mother had kept my hair natural but I can't think of anyone who didn't perm when I was a kid.

SCNDLS said:

ZombieKitten said:

I'm glad school uniforms here for little kids don't force little girls to wear dresses any more, they can wear shorts or track pants just like the boys

Unfortunately, they don't wear unis in my school district. Thank God she's easy to deal with wardrobe-wise and she's not at all prissy.

We keep her natural hair braided. She's rocking the cutest faux-hawk with zig-zag braids on both sides, right now. EVERYWHERE we go, white folks compliment her hair. On more than one occassion, when I pulled up to pick her up at school, I've seen teachers playing in her hair. She LOVES all the attention. I wish my mother had kept my hair natural but I can't think of anyone who didn't perm when I was a kid.

yeah, but that was the fashion, and fashions seemed so much more uniform even 20 years ago, you HAD to do what everyone else did. Seems way less rigid now, and natural hair is enjoying a resurgence too

ZombieKitten said:

SCNDLS said:

Unfortunately, they don't wear unis in my school district. Thank God she's easy to deal with wardrobe-wise and she's not at all prissy.

We keep her natural hair braided. She's rocking the cutest faux-hawk with zig-zag braids on both sides, right now. EVERYWHERE we go, white folks compliment her hair. On more than one occassion, when I pulled up to pick her up at school, I've seen teachers playing in her hair. She LOVES all the attention. I wish my mother had kept my hair natural but I can't think of anyone who didn't perm when I was a kid.

yeah, but that was the fashion, and fashions seemed so much more uniform even 20 years ago, you HAD to do what everyone else did. Seems way less rigid now, and natural hair is enjoying a resurgence too

Sure is! I was the queen of a killa weave but I'm in the process of going natural myself.

SCNDLS said:

ZombieKitten said:

yeah, but that was the fashion, and fashions seemed so much more uniform even 20 years ago, you HAD to do what everyone else did. Seems way less rigid now, and natural hair is enjoying a resurgence too

Sure is! I was the queen of a killa weave but I'm in the process of going natural myself.

SCNDLS said:

ZombieKitten said:

She's such a cute lil girl but they just keep her hair a mess.

[Edited 10/19/10 18:58pm]

Yes, she's a dollbaby, but it's kind of unusual that she would have really kinky hair. Most Ethiopians have that "straight/curly" hair; not really kinky, but tightly curled--hair that doesn't require perming or the hot comb. But I agree with you. Angelina should get a woman in there to do something with that baby's hair. By no means perm at this young age, but at least maybe braid it so it will stay somewhat manageable when it's combed out.

HOLD UP! I just noticed something. Is that a tatoo on that child's arm or a burn/scar?

[Edited 10/20/10 10:52am]

[Edited 10/20/10 10:53am]

Shyra said:

SCNDLS said:

She's such a cute lil girl but they just keep her hair a mess.

[Edited 10/19/10 18:58pm]

Yes, she's a dollbaby, but it's kind of unusual that she would have really kinky hair. Most Ethiopians have that "straight/curly" hair; not really kinky, but tightly curled--hair that doesn't require perming or the hot comb. But I agree with you. Angelina should get a woman in there to do something with that baby's hair. By no means perm at this young age, but at least maybe braid it so it will stay somewhat manageable when it's combed out.

HOLD UP! I just noticed something. Is that a tatoo on that child's arm or a burn/scar?

[Edited 10/20/10 10:52am]

[Edited 10/20/10 10:53am]

Lawd, ain't no telling wit them two. He's spending all that time in Nawlins I'm sure some of them sistas he's building houses for would be happy to help them out. And you know, I don't even think her hair is that kinky, per se, it looks really soft. Still needs a comb ran thru it tho.

^^ Yeah, I was thinking that her hair looks very soft and not that hard kink. Lawd, I remember a boyfriend I had in college. He was from San Antonio, bow-legged, Native/African American, and fine as cat hair, chile, but that nucca had the thickest, nappiest, kinkyest, hardest ass hair I had ever felt!

I always thought afro's where the coolest hair ever, I wish more people had them

I hope Chris Rock's little girl sees this video!

I giggled like a giddy school girl when I saw this video. When the cute little puppet wears her hair up, it looks exactly like my hair right now.

Feels good to be natural.