We decided to repost this article, because so much is going on in the world and especially in the Black Community. Though, a lot of the events right now are focused on the survival of the Black Man, we wanted to remind the Black Womem that their survival and understanding is also needed during this time. This article is powerful in bringing to light the issues that Black women face, and reminding the about how important it is to know and love the skin they are in.
#Protectyourmagic Black Women <3
Since we can remember society has defined what is beautiful. We’ve seen images of gorgeous, tall and slender women on the T.V. screens, which allow us to perceive that these are the only women who can be beautiful.During times of slavery, women were classified by their skin tone. Slaves of the lighter skin tone did the housekeeping duties, whereas the dark skin slaves worked in the field. In 1940, Kenneth Clark, a psychologist, did an experiment using dolls to study children’s attitude about race. His study contributed to the ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Researchers have repeated the same experiment and still today the results were the same as it was back in 1940. Majority of the children preferred the white doll over the black doll.
As a child it was very difficult for me to accept my dark skin tone. One day after being teased at school I remember running home ready to tell my mother that I wasn’t beautiful. My mother took me to me aunt’s house and explained to me that the color of my skin was gorgeous. My aunt told me that I came from the motherland of Africa, which was once the land of royal kings and queens who had my same skin complexion. Growing up my mother helped me to embrace my beautiful dark skin tone.Although, I hate when someone says, “you’re beautiful for a dark skin girl.” I do appreciate the compliment. But, it bothers me that the tone of my skin is what defines me being beautiful.
Matthew Denny, a third-year business administration student from Naples, Florida says, “dark skin females are more attractive to me. Light skin girls tend to have attitudes and feel like they are entitled to more.”
Rapper Lil Wayne quoted a verse from his song explaining how a beautiful black woman would look better light skin. The irony in that verse doesn’t make much sense because his daughter is dark-skinned. I have encountered many women who had the same issue as me and overcame their problem.
Nailah Williams, sophomore animal science student from Beaufort, South Carolina said, “European beauty has been glorified in our society allowing us to believe that it is the measurement of what is beautiful. I am a firm believer in the late Tupac Shakur lyrics, ‘the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice.’”
It is up to the grandmothers, mothers, aunts and women to serve as role models to instill the right message into our young women. Beauty comes in different shapes, sizes and colors. The stereotype that dark skin women can’t be beautiful has been ongoing issue in the black community and it has to stop.