Young Girl Captivated by Michelle Obama’s Portrait Shows Representation Matters

The young girl who was photographed staring up mesmerized at Michelle Obama’s portrait in the spring made the news again for dressing up as her for Halloween. Parker Curry wore a dress designed to look like the dress Obama is wearing in the portrait. The photo of Curry went viral and her mother Jessica Curry later told CNN that she thought Obama was “a queen” and wanted “to be a queen as well.” Curry also said that "As a female and as a girl of color, it's really important that I show her people who look like her that are doing amazing things and are making history so that she knows she can do it.”

Curry’s wonderment about Obama’s portrait shows how media representation matters and how it is important for children to see people who look like them in the media. The fact that black people are symbolically annihilated from the media makes it important when there are positive representations of powerful people of color and this moment shows the powerful impact it can have on children.