Vagina: the word here is “vagina,” and it’s going to be used many times in this article, so if you get uncomfortable seeing this word or talking about this subject… suck it up (that’s what she said) cause I have a lot to say.

The preference for light skin across cultures puts immense pressure on girls to look and feel a certain way. It puts these crazy ideas into our heads that we must do absolutely everything to achieve and maintain light skin. And trust me when I say crazy ideas: putting rubbing alcohol on a cloth and having an older woman trying to scrub away our freckles, having a pumice stone harshly scrubbed over our dark elbows and armpits in someone else’s desperate attempt to make us whiter and even having to literally bleach our skin because it was considered better to permanently damage your skin then to learn to love it.

As we get older, the insecurities about dark skin or dark spots are always in the back of our minds but now there is another body part we have to worry about: our vaginas. You see, when we were younger, vaginas were an off-limits topic because “no one should ever see it” is a literal thing forced on many women. No one seemed to care when we were taunted about our dark elbows, knees, necks, and armpits because those are the things everyone sees. So now, everyone dismisses how our internalized insecurities about our dark elbows, knees, necks, and armpits cannot help us feel any differently about having dark vaginas.

There is a branch of colorism that isolates women in fear of dark vaginas tainting our skin no matter the shade it is, to begin with. The discrimination behind having dark vaginas is a concern that we should not have to deal with. Everyone should know that vaginas come in many different shapes and colors, yet there is still a preference for the stereotypical kind: hairless, white/pink and taut. Who can we blame in this perpetuating this stereotype? Media and entertainment? Yes. Beauty and Cosmetics? Yes! Porn? Yes!! There is only so much a woman can do to feel accepted and normalized when those who we are fighting use our bodies to promote and convince us that there is something wrong with them.

Who do we turn to help us fall in love with our vaginas? The answer is simple, we turn to each other.

The way we help each other feel beautiful in our diverse bodies, we should maintain that energy when discussing our intimate parts. We should encourage each other to talk about the topic without feeling or alienating each other. Everything about us is perfectly normal. We are perfectly us. Humans are put on this Earth because of our vaginas, so do not let these fools educate you about YOU. You know who you are, carry yourself painted in all your magnificent colours. And if you’re still worried about your dark vagina, remember Tupac once said: the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice 😉

HANDS UP FOR YOUR COLOURS!