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What Happens When Dark Skinned Black Women Actually Believe In Their Beauty?
How dare we actually identify with any positive, healing, feminine adjectives that were never given to us since birth, and only reserved for the “red bones?”
“They know your power. They just don’t want you to be aware of it.”
Sanni Lark
During the Hunter Moon this weekend I was inspired to post a reel in my private Instagram account asking the following questions:
“How do black women cultivate their own self-esteem and their own self-worth in a world where you grow up with people who don’t like how you look? You grow up with so much noise telling you that you’re not good enough?”
Now I rarely ever post videos of me speaking, as my fading yet ever-present body dysmorphia does have a hold on me sometimes. But I was feeling bold enough that evening, because if I don’t give myself permission to show my face then who the hell will? Sure, it was nerve-wracking, but I pushed through and received positive feedback and responses.
With some of the private responses I received, I shared what it was like to grow up with a light skinned mother who didn’t like that her daughter’s skin was darker than hers. I also shared that one of the most freeing things I’ve done was tell her this. Even though she was…
