Moments That Showed How Important Representation Is For Kids

A year ago, a boy named Oliver Garza-Pena, who has caudal regression syndrome and uses a wheelchair, was struck while shopping at Target by a display featuring another boy who uses a wheelchair His mom shared the meaningful experience in a viral post on his Facebook page.

“Today Oliver stopped me dead in his tracks and turned back around to see this picture that he spotted! He just stared at it in awe!” she wrote. “He recognized another boy like him, smiling and laughing on a display at Target. Oliver sees kids every day, but he never gets to see kids like him. This was amazing!”

When Kamala Harris was sworn in as the nation’s first female, Black and Asian American vice president, it was a significant moment for girls, and especially girls of color in the U.S.

Retired NFL player Torrey Smith illustrated this when he shared a photo of his 2-year-old daughter Kori wearing a shirt that read, “My VP Looks Like Me” on Instagram. “I’m so excited for my daughter!” he wrote in the caption. “Anything is possible but it’s different when you see it!”

The 2017 film “Wonder Woman” was a big moment for representation as a female-led, female-directed superhero movie in an overwhelmingly male-dominated genre.

Many young girls showed their support for the film and fearless women everywhere by channeling their inner superhero and dressing up as Wonder Woman.

Lindsay Filcik, whose daughter Ivy has Down syndrome, shared a post about the power of representation in toys on Instagram, where it quickly went viral.

“Every single human being deserves to see somebody who looks like them in movies, books, commercials, and toys,” she wrote. “Unfortunately for far too long that has not been the case. People of all races, abilities, body types, genders, religions, etc. need to be represented in what we watch, read, and play with.”

JoJo Siwa rose to fame as a child star who promoted positivity and anti-bullying messages. In January, she came out to her millions of young fans as a member of the LGBTQ+ community — and many were quick to point out the powerful impact of the announcement.

“idk but if i was 10 and saw jojo siwa coming out as gay …. the impact that would have on my mental health and confidence as a little girl who just knew she wasn’t straight,” read one viral tweet responding to the news. “i am so proud of jojo for always being herself and helping a new generation of kids be themselves too.”

The character Rey’s appearance in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was groundbreaking both within the male-dominated realm of the fictional universe and in the real world, as she inspired countless young girls with her heroism.

One little girl’s reaction to seeing Rey at Walt Disney World, as shown on this video, illustrates the impact of writing strong female characters in big franchises.