‘Hair Love’ director starts Twitter campaign celebrating 4-year-old girl

Oscar-winning Matthew Cherry wanted to gather a collection of drawings for Ariyonna to make sure she knew she was beautiful and loved

Blue Telusma

Mar 9, 2020

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Last week, a heartbreaking video of a Black hairdresser consoling a distraught four-year-old girl after she confessed to hating her reflection went viral. Now “Hair Love” director Matthew Cherry has started an equally viral social media campaign to let the child know just how beautiful she actually is.

Friday, the stylist, Shabria who goes by the name @LilWaveDaddy on social media, shared a clip of her tightening the dreadlocks of a little girl named Ariyonna.

Soon the child is shown looking into the camera and matter of factly stating, “I’m so ugly!”

“Don’t say that! You are so pretty!,” the hairdresser responds before showering the child with affirmations. “When you look at yourself you suppose to say, ‘I am so pretty’— you got the prettiest little dimples, you are so cute.”

“We Must UPLIFT Our Queens,” the stylist wrote in the caption accompanying the video.

“it broke my heart into pieces because she has the GREATEST energy and the most beautiful smile and heart ! She comes from a great home & loving mother . I just think when kids go to school they learn and pick up sooo much different things that they don’t know the definition but they know the feeling ! Keep her in your prayers and keep lifting up our future !!!”

Hey #ArtTwitter can we get a collection of drawings together of this sweet little girl who mistakenly called herself ugly like the one @LeislAdams did so we can get a collection of them to her and the hairdresser @LilWaveDaddy that encouraged her. Make sure to include the dimples https://t.co/PyG6wRpnrv

— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) March 7, 2020

The very next day, Cherry, still fresh off his Oscar win, took to social media. He used his platform to ask other artists to gather around the child and create artwork highlighting her beauty.

“Hey #ArtTwitter can we get a collection of drawings together of this sweet little girl who mistakenly called herself ugly like the one @LeslAdams did so we can get a collection of them to her and the hairdresser @LilWaveDaddy that encouraged her. Make sure to include the dimples,” he wrote.

Within hours, the tributes started pouring in. Cherry later posted an update video from the child who in response to the outpouring of love posted a new video in which she looks into the camera and states, “I’m Black and beautiful. Thank you everyone!”

Want to get a collection of black books with characters that look like her like in Hair Love, Sulwe, I Am Enough, Little Leaders, Fresh Princess, I Love My Hair etc. and some fan art to send to her and @LilWaveDaddy. Here’s a video reference pic.twitter.com/aTNoKwrKK3

— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) March 7, 2020