The casting for the film adaptation of the 2018 New York Times Best Selling young-adult fantasy novel, “The Children of Blood and Bone” by Tomi Adeyemi, has faced extreme backlash online for several reasons.

Shrinkage isn’t the issue; it’s the way we’re taught to see it. When our hair coils up, pulling itself close, there’s this idea that something’s been lost or hidden. It’s a perception drilled into us—that our natural state needs to reach a standard that isn't made for us.