After looking at my very dark skin daughter, and watching all of the many hidden jokes about a complexion so original and so complete, on social networks – I had to present this challenge to my fellow darker skin beauties. My daughter will enter a world, of actuality and social media – where she’ll learn that her skin color will be her own challenge. Dear Dark Skin Black girl, today I challenge you. Now, you first must understand that your complexion is pure luxury in design of a higher power. You see, your darker version of skin is full of very important history that has been overlooked – due to this new Americanized hype and beauty. We all originate from the same continent, Africa, where shades of skin colors were plentiful and still are.
Today, I challenge you to look in the mirror with all integrity and strength to detest what inexcusable slurs and jokes your peers make up about ‘color’and ‘complexion’. You see you’re going to run across people who will discredit your beauty, due to your darker appearance – but you must think the opposite. Your skin color is what binds history onto a country that attempts through many unseen methods to erase – misleading African Americans. Your skin color is what latches on to everything great of African American history, so snuggly, that you even represent a visual – a canvas – allowing our history to never be forgotten. Your skin color has never subtracted a woman’s strength, preventing them to do anything in this lifetime. That is an illusion. You are still able. Your skin color is not a deterrent keeping you from any goal in life, and I challenge you to fully grasp this concept. It is fact that you will turn on televisions that will spotlight women of fair skin and European hairstyles, overlooking all of your unique factors of beauty – including your dark skin.
The jokes tossed at you during your lifetime will not weigh anything compared to the richness in your deep skin tone appearance. Inner beauty does come from within, but you, with your shaded complexion- to me- are visual gifts. I challenge you to build a shield of African American history, revisiting some of the pictures and stories of great African Kings and Queens who also shared your chocolate wrapping. Understand that you must challenge your own mind and its strength to overpower the grotesque insults slurred by your own people, families, siblings, and peers – also African Americans. Unfortunately, news and media will not build this shield of dominance and protection for you. You must read and educate yourself, to overcome this childish set of ‘beauty standards’. It is your challenge – no one else’s. The hate embedded in African Americans is very miniscule and childish, but that is not your issue.
To think skin tone determines beauty is – idiotism at its finest – drenched in denied self-hate, but you cannot stop that weak process of thinking. Sad to state, but you cannot stop the mindset of people who have such warped concepts of what actual beauty consists of. All that you can do is be beautiful in the skin you’re in, and challenge yourself to stay within that realm of thinking, with a head held high. You don’t need to provide any explanation as to why your shaded skin is its complexion. All you need is a strengthened level esteem – provided by God’s stamp and yourself. I challenge you to drink esteem and feed on what you know to be true. You are one example of perfection, in which a higher power gave life to. You have a skin tone, that’s luxurious and timeless like the finest and purest wines. I challenge you to be beautiful, no matter what your neighbor may say. For, dark skin is a jewel, and you’re acceptance of it will be your riches. I challenge you dark skin girl to love yourself – above all, anything, and anyone that tells you different. I challenge you to be beautiful, above all strife and ignorance.
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