A Girl Like Me

A Girl Like Me is an eight-minute short that brings issues often frought or thought of as taboo, front and center. As an eighteen-year-old filmmaker, I am startled at the impact the film has had since its first screening.

The Film: A Girl Like Me is an award-winning short film that explores the standards of beauty imposed on black girls today. Through a number of frank interviews with girls from my high school, the film delves beneath the surface of the issue. A Girl Like Me is able to creatively express how such standards affect self-esteem and self-image in black youth. After watching the film, viewers will come away better understanding the origins of these standards. The film also features the famous “doll test” originally conducted by Dr. Kenneth Clark. The test was the catalyst that led to the ruling that de-segregated schools during the historic case Brown vs. Board of Education.

During the test, young black children were given one black doll and one white doll. When asked which they preferred, the majority picked the white doll. I re-created the test to see how much we have evolved since the 1950’s. The results shown in the film illuminate the reality of how little we have progressed. The film sends a very important message to the world about a country who prides itself as a successful example of diversity and equality. Yet, even though the doll test is a pivotal moment in the film, A Girl Like Me was really inspired by the experiences of myself and my friends as young black women.

Getting Started: The film was created with the support of my school, Urban Academy, and the organization Reel Works Teen Filmmaking. My mentor for this film was the director of award-winning film, Chisholm 72 - Unbought & Unbossed and past Media That Matters Film Festival juror, Shola Lynch.

I had already directed some films, but this was my first taste in documentary. I feel that the experience was key in my development as a filmmaker. I worked on the film for half a year, never thinking I would get the reaction I got. From the first screening, the audience gasped throughout the film, even bringing some to tears. At that moment I realized that the film touched on an important issue that America needs to see. The idea of getting my film into the hands of those I thought would benefit from the content began to interest me. Additionally, it was my hope that the film would be used as a tool for change. How could I get America to see such a film?

Where to Start: After making a film, outreach can seem even more overwhelming than the film production itself. Any good “outreacher” knows that your best audience will be those who collaborated with you on your film. The first place A Girl Like Me screened was with other youth-produced works at HBO, a sponsor of my youth filmmaking group. Then there were two screenings held at the Boys and Girls Harbor daycare centers in Harlem, where I conducted the “doll test.” The director of the school required that all staff members view the film. After viewing it, the daycare sites both altered their curriculum to incorporate activities and lesson plans that focused on exploring issues of identity, self-esteem, and celebrating differences. As it turns out, a film festival judge was in attendance at one of the screenings and he helped get the film into his festival which was a great start to get the word out. By this point, outreach and impact was already in progress and in many ways I was already satisfied with the outcome.