BLACK BEAUTY — Embracing your skin color
It’s just recently that I have started embracing my skin color. But it wasn’t always like that. I was born as a very fair complexioned baby girl and everyone in the neighborhood loved me so much that they would take turns to play with me. So, I was a pampered child. At the age of 4, we moved to the southern part of India and somehow my skin color turned dark. Soon I had to get out of my comfort zone and begin my life, of course, I mean 1st standard. In class 1 and 2 I had just one true friend ‘Gogol’, who also turned out to be a family friend. It’s funny but even at that tender age, my classmates used to discriminate on color. I remember coming home and crying every day after school. Each morning I hoped that I didn’t have to go to school because I felt unloved and unwanted there. I would tell my parents everything about what happened that day and tell them how I didn’t like my color, felt that I’m not cute and nobody wanted to be with me. Thankfully I had my buddy and seatmate Gogol with whom I used to have lunch. In class 2 he left the school. The next days in school were hard, I sat alone for some days until one day I started crying. The teacher asked me why, and I said ‘because my friend has left and I don’t have a seatmate’. She made me sit with Appu, the cutest girl in the class loved by everyone. I used to have lunch alone. One day I asked if I can join the ‘Appu Group of Friends’ and after gossiping, they said okay. I was so happy to be accepted only for worse. I would hear my friends talking about how fair and cute they are. They would discuss about the ugly children and convince everyone not to play/talk to them. I was above average and had diverse talents still no one liked me. And my tantrums started again. After a while, my mum came with the phrase “You are the most beautiful darling! You’re my BLACK BEAUTY “. Next time anyone told me that I was dark and not pretty I would tell them “I’m black beauty”. That made me feel so much better. Soon I got some truly amazing friends like Arpi, Eric and Surabhi Chechi. And with my family’s support and motivation, I overcame those insecurities. Though some still stay, I’m always trying to improve myself.
It is sad to see that in a country with diverse skin tones there is a constant race of being fair. We refer to women as ‘The Fairer Sex’ and TV-Internet-Newspapers are filled with whitening cream advertisements, creating inferiority in darkly toned women. India is on a fairness hook, everyone wants to look fair. This has been termed as ‘Snow White Syndrome’ in the business world. Recently the sales for fairness creams have gone up by 18% and is predicted to increase up to 25% this year. Most of these products don’t even make your skin fair, rather they make it prone to damage. Their only aim is to make money out of your insecurities. Just because someone chose the fair girl over you, misbehaved with you or called you ugly, don’t try to change your looks. Instead, make yourself a stronger and better person. You might have lost a ruby, but they lost a diamond …. you!
No matter what people say, you are beautiful, you’re a princess to someone (be it your dad, your mate, your grandpa). There’s always someone waiting to see that smile on your face.
Remember, If you’re not a SNOW WHITE, then you’re THE BLACK BEAUTY!
