Dear morena linda,
I wish that someone had told me that my skin was beautiful when I was younger. I wish someone had told me that bleaching my skin, hiding from the sun, and using whitening creams and soaps was going to damage me more in the long run than make me beautiful at that moment.
If this is you now, I am here to tell you that you are beautiful in your own skin. Embrace it. Wear your glowing, brown skin with pride, and don’t fall into society’s construct way of thinking.
I understand that the world has always favored lighter skin toned women. Butt the world is changing now and you should be a part of that change.
In many communities, it is taught that in order to be beautiful you should remove blemishes, cover dark spots, and have a fair complexion. So, many women turn to use products to make those changes.
However, according to Healthline, although you might see some changes, the effects that come after might hurt you more than you think. Some of the effects include mercury poisoning, dermatitis, and steroid acne.
Growing up, I didn’t see many people that looked like me on TV, online, or the news. People would tell me that they were like me in the sense that we shared the same culture, heritage or spoke the same language but we were not remotely the same in our skin tones.
In the novelas that my mom would watch, they were speaking the same language as me but almost always had lighter skin, colored eyes, and blonder hair. I would always ask myself, “Is that what I am supposed to look like?”
The only time I would see people that matched my skin tone on TV was when they were playing a criminal, a thug or were associated with negative stereotypes.
This played a huge role in what stemmed my insecurity and my craving to look different. These circumstances are what lead me to skin bleaching, using skin whitening creams and treatments. I always hid from the sun and wore a jacket and pants even when it was hot outside, because I was trying so hard to become something I am not.
What I am is beautiful and so are you. It took me a long time to understand that but now I feel free, and so should you.
So don’t look at others and think that you should look like them. You should look like you, and there is no one better than that. You do not need to harm your skin and become lighter to be beautiful. Look in the mirror and embrace the sweet melanin.
Sincerely, another morena linda.
Read also:
Your Skin Tone Does Not Define Your Worth
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
How The “Foxy Eyes” Trend Is Racist
