So this just occurred to me, its now trendy to be a dark skinned black woman. A feature I grew up loathing (and later learned to love of course) is now admired and swooned over. Its funny how society has all these trends. Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of this new found love for darker-toned women, I'm just in awe of how perceptions change in our society and how one thing catches on and everyone follows suite. One thing I am loving however is all the love and appreciation dark skinned women are receiving. This is so much bigger than just loving the skin you're in, it extends to a shift in what is portrayed as beautiful.
The fact that a darker skinned models can be cast in a photo shoot or music video to finally represent us, women who are much more melanated than the average. This is when you realize how much representation matters. I don't know how many times I have thought to myself that I wish I had seen this growing up. I grew up in the era of "light skin is beautiful and dark skin is ugly." The media simply perpetuated the feelings of self hate I had and further instilled the notion that something was wrong with me because I was so dark. The constant hate and wanting to be lighter really wears down on your self esteem. I am so glad younger girls of today at least have the opportunity to love themselves and feel appreciated. I find peace in knowing that if I had a little girl she would grow up feeling included and beautiful.
I went from being teased about my complexion to being complemented on it. I feel now I am in a place where I am entirely comfortable with my skin tone and it has taken me years to get to this point. One thing that has definitely helped is the gorgeous melanated women in the social media spotlight such as Nikki Perkins (A major influence over the way I feel in my skin) and Khoudia diop to name a few. These are women who have broken the age old stereotype of having to be light skinned to be beautiful. I admired the confidence they carried and the message that came with it. The message that this shade is just as beautiful as the next. It definitely redefined my perception of beauty. I doubt this is a trend that will simply pass by, it may fizzle down a little as people become more conscience and aware of dark skinned beauty.
