Chapter 9
Beyond Girl Heroes: Girl Power, Racism, and Race Relations

Chapter Nine of Growing Up With Girl Power moves
beyond the girl hero cartoons to investigate other modes of girl power preferred by the African-American girls in my study. It focuses especially on the Bratz brand of diverse dolls that many of the girls loved—and used in surprising ways.

Figure 9.1: Bratz Dolls.
Bratz are racially diverse, available in a range of skin tones and hair colors. Front row, left to right: Yasmin, Cloe, Jade, and Sasha. Back row: The same dolls in their original packaging. Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Distinctive Assets. Courtesy of Getty Images.

Related videos

A Conversation about Race
(a study on children & internalized racism)

See also:

• Anderson Cooper 360: Study shows how children view race bias [Video]
• The Barbie Doll Test [Video]

Bratz Episode

Sister, Sister: "I Had a Dream," part 2
(episode with Harriet Tubman)