A Dove Commercial Inspired This Mom To Write A Book Empowering Her Daughter To Love Her “Magic Curls”

Author Evita Giron holding a Spanish copy of her book ‘The Girl With The Magic Curls’

We’re all familiar with a number of Dove videos and campaigns that have gone viral over the past decade, and there’s a good reason why they’ve helped disrupt narrow standards of beauty, as well as “norms” within the larger industry. It’s often rare that a major brand will start a movement, especially one that inspires authentic empowerment self-confidence, but Dove has managed to do this is numerous ways throughout the years.

One woman who knows this quite well is New Jersey-based mom and author Evita Giron, whose book ‘The Girl With The Magic Curls’ was initially inspired by a viral Dove campaign, and brought to life through the experience of raising a daughter who she wanted to empower with self-confidence.

As the founder of a blog called Curlyvita.com, Evita writes about motherhood & family, curly hair, diversity, beauty and more, all with the intent to inspire women to courageously and creatively express self-love, as stated on her website. She released her book in 2018 and has spent the last couple of years spreading her message through various media outlets and her own digital platform.

When we learned about ‘The Girl With The Magic Curls’ we were instantly drawn to Evita’s story and wanted to learn more. So we spoke with the author about her blog, her book (which is available in both Spanish and English), breaking down stereotypes, and the importance of young girls growing up with visible role models that look like them in the books they read.

Tell us how the idea for “The Girl With The Magic Curls” book came about?

The idea for me to write ‘The Girl With The Magical Curls’ came about in 2014. I was watching the Dove Love Your Curls campaign commercial for their new haircare products and thought, why aren’t there female superheroes in children’s books with curly hair? Specifically a girl or woman using her hair as her super power! I thought that if little girls with curly hair had a positive role-model or image to look up to perhaps, they would learn to love their hair. I believe a woman’s impression of beauty starts when she’s young. The women around her help to shape her sense of what is beautiful.

At the time my daughter was 2 years old and I had just gotten a ton of new books from Barnes and Noble. I had thought of writing a children’s book in the past but didn’t take it seriously until now. My daughter Tatiana was the best candidate as a main character for my book because she was discovering the beauty of her own curls. 

Before the book came the blog: Curlyvita. What kind of content does your blog focus on and why did you start the platform?

Curlyvita is a lifestyle blog that focuses on beauty, hair, diversity, positivity and self-care. I created my blog because I wanted a place where I could inspire women to have a platform to learn how to express self-love and confidence in themselves. As a writer, I wanted a place to showcase my work with other organizations, blogs and companies by sharing my portfolio.

The inspiration behind ‘The Girl With The Magic Curls’, Evita’s daughter Tatiana.

We’re seeing a lot more diversity and increased amount of representation in the mainstream beauty and fashion world, but we still have a long way to go. How do you hope your book will work to chip away at stereotypes and erasure?

I really plan for my book to be used as a resource for girls and young women all over the world. I’m so grateful that the feedback that I have been getting from mothers, and girls is one in which they feel empowered and inspired by the character Tatiana and, her magical journey to love her curls and accept herself for who she is. I hope my book will continue to inspire girls and young women who may not have had a curly superhero to look up to. Perhaps this will be the first! 

Can you share a story or experience from your upbringing that played a role in you becoming a writer today?

I started writing short stories and poetry when I was in junior high school. I found that it was a way for me to express myself and my feelings.  In the beginning, a majority of my poems were focused on experiences in school, friends, and just thinking about my future and life events. Poetry became very therapeutic for me.  

Why is it important for you to show young girls role models that look like them in literature?

It’s important for me to show young girls role models that look like them in literature because I think they need to know that there are young girls around the world (who look like them), that can share stories, challenges and achievements on developing self-love. The world is made up of beautiful individuals from all skin tones, hair types and body types. We are all connected on a deeper level and we can all relate to one another based on our experiences.

One of my favorite quotes that can be taken in various contexts but also used here, “We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves there too”- Kristin Martz

How are you working to empower your own daughter with confidence and self-esteem?

I’m working to empower my daughter to let her be who she is. She already has a sense of style that is all her own. A few of her favorite hairstyles are,  a pineapple with a bang, and braids on one side of her hair while the other side is out. I think the most important thing for girls is to let them express themselves and encourage them to be who they are. Her and I also recite positive affirmations together. 

It’s so important for children to feel, think and believe that they can achieve anything they put their minds to.  She has also done a few meditations with me from time to time. I have been meditating for about 13 years now. I actually want to write a meditation book for children, this is one of my next projects. 

While it’s important to work to dismantle the societal messages that physical appearances matter the most for women and girls, can you share why you think it is important that we incorporate messages about skin color, hair types, and body shapes too?

I think it’s important to as a writer to show a variety of characters who have different body types, skin color and hair types because as unique as each one of us are, there is always going to be someone that we can relate to. It’s also important to know that everyone has a story to tell and Tatiana’s story in the book was my story and someone else’s at one point. It’s all about sharing experiences and being relatable. 

Image from ‘The Girl With The Magic Curls’

What are you working on next, and where do you see the Curlyvita message heading over the next few years?

As I briefly mentioned above, I would like to work on a children’s book about meditation. This book would be a book with affirmations for children, perhaps I will create a few characters to make the story interesting.  In regards to The Girl With The Magical Curls, I am going to be working on a project to turn my book into an animation. I see the Curlyvita message continuing to thrive and perhaps collaborate with other female entrepreneurs and innovators to empower our young girls. 

Currently I am collaborating with Latinas y Líderes (a nonprofit organization in the Dominican Republic to empower young girls)  to provide copies of my book in Spanish (La Niña con los Rizos Mágicos) to contribute to their reading library. 

In the past I have worked with Strive Higher and Literacy Inc., both nonprofit organizations in NYC dedicated to promote literacy education in underrepresented communities, I look forward to continuing to work with literacy and organizations that empower young women/girls across the globe. 

Finally, what makes you a powerful woman?

I’ve always felt that my inner quiet strength and determination have made me a powerful woman. Sometimes I’m not much for words, I’ve always been more of an observer. 

I’d rather do than talk about doing something. I think my calm demeanor and optimism in life has been my sense of courage even in the most challenging situations. 


You can follow Evita on Facebook and Instagram, and purchase ‘The Girl with the Magic Curls’ in English or Spanish from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Evita Giron at the National Press Club, Book Fair & Author’s Night event in Washington, DC, on Nov 1st.