Someone once asked me, what is Beauty? That moment I knew I had to write a love letter to all my fellow dark-skinned women. To the girls who’ve been called names over black or dark skin that’s ‘too black’ not only by those outside of our race, but by those within it. As a child my dreams were always about me as a princess with white pale skin waiting for a knight or prince to save me. I was frequently told to stay out of the sun so I will not get darker or use a whitening cream to look beautiful and fair. As a dark skinned person, my brown skin was not valued. Being deemed as ‘more beautiful’ white people also have many advantages because of the system, while people with brown skin or dark skin receive disadvantages.
White or black, we have grown up in the residuals of a time where white people were openly considered smarter, more valuable, and more attractive than people of dark skin tone. I hadn’t thought often of how subtle racism affects our society as a whole. Self-love should be a priority at this time in our lives, as we are growing up. The mindset of getting fair skin is so normalised that many people accept fairness treatments as a standard part of wedding preparations. The black skin is not a badge of Shame but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness. Dark skin is not a crime and light skin is not a prize.
