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When flipping through the pages of a children’s coloring book, psychologist Stephanie Tabashneck saw image after image of girls dressed in tutus, waving magic wands, and donning princess crowns. While this cutesy, princessy representation of young girls was undoubtedly fun to color, it was also one-dimensional. Tabashneck was concerned that this wasn’t a representation to which every girl could relate. What about the girls that didn’t want to be a princess? Or the girls that didn’t have long, flowing hair or petite bodies?
That’s when Tabashneck decided it was time for a coloring book that featured girls of all different shapes and sizes who dream to be ‘more than a princess’ - and so she created the The Dream Big! More than a Princess Coloring Book. In an interview with Ms. Blog, Tabashneck explains that the coloring book serves to empower young girls to actively engage in the possibility of dreaming big. “Through coloring, girls have the opportunity to ‘try on’ different careers and engage with the material in a unique way,” she explains.
And that’s exactly what Tabashneck’s coloring book does, with each page featuring a girl sharing her dream of becoming a professional. On one page, a girl with African American features stands at a podium, under a banner that reads, “I’m going to be President and lead the country toward a bright future!” On another page with the headline, “I’m going to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company,” a girl wearing a Jewish star necklace stands at a desk littered with papers.
Tabashneck joins a group of men and women who are working to expand the world of possibility for young girls by creating dolls, movies, commercials, and even Halloween costumes that urge them to aim high. This empowering coloring book is yet another tool to inspire girls of all races to think outside the box and dream big.
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