Growing up, I never thought much about my skin color. My skin tone is that of caramel, comparable with the color of Beyonce when she was in her younger years. It was just a part of who I was—nothing more, nothing less. However, as I grew older and started to become more aware of societal standards of beauty, I began to notice the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle messages that were being sent about what was considered beautiful. I started becoming ashamed of my skin color and started feeling less than the rest.

Today I am here to share with you without shame what I was and still am currently doing to my skin to fit in. Unafraid of being judged and only here to encourage parents and men to be careful of how to address skin tone in our current worlds. In no way or form am I promoting skin lightening, but I'm just here to address a very big problem among our dark skinned women.


The virgin period

I was once a virgin in skin color. I would see no difference in tones for my friends. Everyone to me was the same. Until it changed at my 7th age already when I entered first grade. Everywhere I looked—on TV, in magazines, even in my favorite movies—there seemed to be a recurring theme: lighter skin was often portrayed as more desirable, more attractive, and more successful. This realization hit me hard, and for the first time, I began to question whether I should consider lightening my skin to fit these standards.

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