An inspirational book, created for middle school aged Black girls, aims to empower and liberate them to believe that they are beautiful, despite society’s notion of what “beauty” is.
In an era where the popular idealistic images of beauty are based on the western world’s realism of beauty, it illustrates that beauty begins with knowing who you are, believing it, and accepting yourself as you are.
Product Details
- Perfect Paperback:34 pages
- Publisher: Da Costa’s Empire Publishing; 1st edition (January 31, 2015)
- Genre: Middle grade
- ISBN-13: 978-0987925596
I am Beautiful: When I Look at Me, I See… is a nonfiction book by Simone Da Costa aimed at empowering young black women through self acceptance. The author uses subtle physical attributes to show that there should be no black and white rules on beauty; rather, beauty comes from the ability to look at yourself and say, “I am beautiful,” instead of giving in to the world’s notions about what beauty should be. She shows that beauty begins with knowing who you are and accepting yourself the way you are, instead of giving in to popular idealistic images. The book also shows the important role parents play in this struggle for self-acceptance and how the words said to a child will have a very big impact – hence, parents should choose their words carefully. Simone Da Costa says everyone is beautiful and beauty is much more than physical features. I am Beautiful does not ignore the existence of physical beauty, but instead shows that there are no clear-cut lines on what beauty is, unlike what is currently perceived as beauty around the world. Beauty is the result of how you choose to look at yourself and refusing to give in to the current preset demarcations. By including questions and exercises in the book, it enables readers to look past the preset lines on what is and is not beautiful and look at the notion of beauty from a whole new angle. –Starred review Readers’ Favorite
I am Beautiful: When I Look at Me, I See…” by Simone Da Costa is empowering. It teaches us (girls, women, and yes, even boys, men of all colours, all races) to look in the mirror and instead of scrutinizing for flaws, focus in on the positive the beautiful. It is there. Always there. We must but look with kind eyes. –Cheryl Antao-Xavier, poet and author of Bruised but Unbroken
absolutely LOVE this children s book. It is something that is very much needed when so many young girls are seeing false images of beauty on television. In an era of plastic surgery, skin bleaching and hair extensions, it is crucial for young girls to understand beauty comes in all forms. Especially, natural hair is a thing of pride and beauty. It is what makes us unique. I also love the family tree and I hope this book encourages families to sit down with their children and make their own ancestry tree. Great work Ms. Da Costa.