Young Girl Gives Away Dolls to Promote Self-Love

Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. coarse / kɔrs, koʊrs / (adj) – having a rough texture
    Example:

    Her classmates teased her because of her coarse hair.


  2. fighting spirit / ˈfaɪ tɪŋ ˈspɪr ɪt / (n) – strong determination to succeed
    Example:

    His fighting spirit kept him going despite the struggles he faced.


  3. newfound / ˈnuˌfaʊnd, ˈnyu- / (adj) – recently known or discovered
    Example:

    The teenager’s newfound confidence encouraged her to take more risks.


  4. comfortable in (one’s) own skin / ˈkʌmf tə bəl ɪn oʊn skɪn / (idiom) – to be confident
    Example:

    I learned how to become comfortable in my own skin by accepting my strengths and weaknesses.


  5. ridicule / ˈrɪd ɪˌkyul / (n) – an offensive comment
    Example:

    The poor family experienced ridicule from the rich business owner.


Article

Read the text below.

A former victim of bullying launched a nonprofit doll line to promote self-love among young girls of color.


In 2011, then five-year-old Zoe Terry and her mother, Nakia Bowling, founded Zoe’s Dolls—a line of brown-complexioned dolls that are donated to girls of color who are not able to afford their own dolls.


The launch of Zoe’s Dolls follows Terry’s experience with bullying in 2010 during her first day of kindergarten. Terry cited her skin color and coarse hair as the main reasons behind the bullying.


Although Terry, who is now eleven years old, admitted that the experience made her feel upset and helpless, her mother’s encouraging words boosted her fighting spirit. This newfound self-confidence then prompted Terry to empower other young girls through Zoe’s Dolls. According to Terry, she wanted to create something in the image of girls of color to make them feel comfortable in their own skin despite being the subject of ridicule.


Terry and her mother have expanded their cause by starting the Girl Ambassadors program, which handles community initiatives. They also recently launched Girl Fit Experience, an initiative that aims to educate young girls of color on healthy eating, and Love Letters to Black Girls, which encourages adults from different parts of the world to send empowering letters and stories to young girls of color.


Because of Terry’s hard work, she was chosen as one of the four recipients of TV network Nickelodeon’s Helping and Leading Others (HALO) awards. This recognition earned Terry a $10,000 scholarship and a $20,000 grant, which she plans to use to distribute more dolls and produce the new Simply Zoe dolls, the proceeds of which will go to underprivileged families.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think that Terry’s doll line will have a strong impact on young girls of color? What made you say so?
• What do you think is the best way to teach children self-love? Explain.

Discussion B

• What other issues involving children (e.g. peer pressure, school pressure) do you think need more attention? Why?
• How do you think children will be affected if these issues are not addressed?