The picture that started it all.
Some of you may have heard or saw firsthand this very “controversial” picture M.A.C cosmetic posted over a month ago. The picture (above) features a black woman lips wearing a dark shade of purple lipstick. Though some may have actually like this picture, others did not. It caused many racial debates, which I myself am guilty of and prompted a gateway for some to comment racial things – like the “n-word”. Many people were not happy with this post, commenting very racial comments such as “Black women will never be as beautiful as white women” and reffering to them as “N**** lips”. This sparked much controversy. If you thought that was worse, I actually witnessed an African American girl, or what seems to be the account of an African American girl, commenting hateful words against her own race and agreeing with others of different ethnicities who disliked the photo.
Attached to this post are some snapshots of an Instagram user mentioning me in response to my comment as to why she felt like Irish slavery was worse than African American slavery? Seeing this comparison of slavery to black slavery infuriates me because I feel as though this doesn’t happen to other races/ethnicities. It is very wrong to compare sufferings because no one’s is deeper than the next. When I come across things like this on social media, I try to not respond with hate. Instead, I provide a valid argument and back up my statements with facts. This will educate the person who made the ignorant comment as well as others who aren’t aware of their history and make the same ignorant statements.
Though this article isn’t about self love, I think it is important for young girls of color to embrace the skin they are in. Once they do this, they will begin to love all aspects of their looks. As a young girl, I was bullied in middle school. It was definitely hard to embrace self-love. Now, I am almost twenty-one years old and am still working on it. Trust me, acceptance can and will get you far. I have seen many girls my age, who I thought was “prettier” or extremely beautiful, have very low self-esteem and it hurt my heart because I knew it would take more than just my words for them to realize how beautiful they are. A few books I highly recommend to read and help you understand where I am going with this would be The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake. When I say these books speaks volumes, it does, I’m glad and very grateful my teachers had us read these books back in school because they helped a lot. These books helped me realize that I am my biggest enemy and if I do not love myself, then who will? They also showed me how to stop looking at those around me because there is always going to be someone out there wanting to have what you fail to appreciate. Another good read I strongly suggest, Book of the Night Women by Marlon James.
Racism is everywhere, and it is a systematic thing that continues to live on and the only way to break it is to start educating and acknowledging our faults. Ignorance is definitely bliss and to call one ignorant when you yourself refuse to acknowledge the surrounding factors is completely ludicrous. African Americans have been and still are oppressed. We may not be physically enslaved but slavery amongst us is still alive. It is important that more companies continue to break barriers just like MAC Comestics. We need to see more color, ethnic groups, races, and shapes of women in advertising because there is not just one type of woman in this world. Many companies market to African Americans and other races, but fail to have us represented. If a model is suppose to refelct the average, everyday woman, then the need for diversity and crucial. Overall, it doesn’t matter what race you are – please do not post on social media without educating yourself because knowledge is power.