ZARA PHILLIPS Somebody’s Daughter Adoptee Activist
Celebrating the release of her autobiographical film Somebody’s Daughter, Zara Phillips offers a candid perspective that contrasts with the often cheerful portrayals of adopted children in media. Drawing from her advocacy work, sociological research, and personal experience as an adoptee, she highlights adoptees' struggles with identity, often feeling like outsiders with incomplete histories. Studies show they are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide and often turn to addiction as a coping mechanism, as Zara did in her youth. “An adoptee suffers the only trauma in the world where they’re expected to feel grateful,” she says, emphasizing that adoptees are seldom asked about the psychological impact of separation from their birth mothers.