Teen author teaches kids confidence with read-aloud book series that celebrates diversity

"It’s not only an opportunity to really make sure that parents and kids have the resources that they need, but also for these authors to be celebrated and recognized," says Marley Dias.

Video Transcript

MARLEY DIAS: I think that being able to see so many other different options of romance books or fantasy books or dystopian books to have people that look like me is super empowering.

DANA OLIVER: Hi, beauties. I'm Dana Oliver. I'm so excited to talk about all things beauty, natural hair, and identity with Marley Dias. Marley is an activist, author, and an all-around awesome teen. In 2015, she launched a campaign called 1000blackgirlbooks to promote literacy and the representation of black female lead characters.

Why don't we go right into some of your favorite beauty products?

MARLEY DIAS: The first one is Space Wash by Starface. I love it because it has helped my skin stay pretty clear. But on top of that, it reminds me of the people that have kind of help and supported my work. I had acne in eighth grade. And it made me feel super insecure about my face. My book had just come out. And I was on camera a lot. So it became a goal of mine going into high school to clear my skin.

DANA OLIVER: So you have a good face wash. What else are you using?

MARLEY DIAS: The Viva La Juicy Juicy Couture perfume. I received it as a gift. And I've been using it ever since. My grandma is really big on scents and perfumes. She really likes it. She's always emphasized that perfume and makeup and jewelry, it's all important in whatever extent you want to wear it.

DANA OLIVER: Grandma knows best. OK, let's talk about this beautiful gorgeous lip that you're wearing.

MARLEY DIAS: This is the secret. These dollar store beauty supply lip glosses. You should not spend any more than $2 on a lip gloss, in my opinion. I use eye shadow to line my lips or a really simple lip liner. But I mainly use eyeshadow. And then I just put on the clear gloss. I just like the way my skin tone naturally works.

DANA OLIVER: Marley, show us your makeup pack for doing your lips.

MARLEY DIAS: This is like super old palette. But I take like the darkest shade I can find, not a complete black though. I just go, like, super light around. And I don't over-line. And then I take the lip gloss. A little bit goes a long way. And it's nice and dark and outside and brown on the middle.

DANA OLIVER: In addition to keeping your beauty routine on point during quarantine, you recently started a read aloud series on Facebook. My one-year-old son JP loves it. Can you tell me more about it?

MARLEY DIAS: The read aloud series was really something that my mom and I were talking about because during this time, I wasn't sure what I could do to really help others. And I thought, well, I have all these books behind me. And everyone always sees books in the background, but they don't really get an experience and a deep dive into my library. So it's not only an opportunity to really make sure that parents and kids have the resources that they need but also for these authors to be celebrated and recognized.

DANA OLIVER: The books that you choose, they all have black and brown characters. Why was that important to you?

MARLEY DIAS: It's extremely important to me to have diversity and to have people that look like me on the covers to create two things. We have windows and mirrors. Mirrors is an important thing for black and brown people to feel as though they're reflected, that their experiences are seen, and allows for you to feel confident, to feel brave, to feel as though you are understood and recognized.

And then for windows, it's for people that are not black and brown that see these experiences, respect them more, learn about them more, and are exposed to new experiences beyond what they may learn in school or in the media that may not be true.

DANA OLIVER: So let's get into a book that sort of had a huge impact on loving and embracing all of you as a young black teen.

MARLEY DIAS: The first book that comes to mind is "Another Brooklyn" by Jacqueline Woodson. It's super important, and it really has a deep dive into friendship, which I think is my biggest thing about being a teenager is that you realize how much relationships mean to you.

DANA OLIVER: You've worn many different hairstyles from cornrows to afros, box braids, and twists. Have you ever felt pressure to change or straighten your natural hair?

MARLEY DIAS: For a long time, I was just getting sick and tired of wearing struggle ponytails or feeling insecure about my hair because my dad couldn't do it right. And I started wearing it an Afro like every day to school. Wearing natural hair in any way you choose is super-empowering. And you should always take up space with your hair as much as you want to.

DANA OLIVER: You're such an inspiration. I have to know, what is your personal beauty mantra. So can you complete the sentence for me? My beauty is--

MARLEY DIAS: My beauty is limitless. Each of us has a unique beauty inside of us that is unlocked by giving back to others, by being kind, by being conscious, and trying our best to do good.

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