Shani Ketema,
Newark, NJ.
Mini Buns. Boxer Braids. Tans. Injections. Street style. TRANSLATION Bantu Knots, Cornrows, Black skin, thickness and what I’ve been wearing for years cause designer is expensive.
I’m beyond tired of hearing that my black looks better on the bodies of white America. It’s not fair that someone can buy my skintone in a store and spray it on them- especially if all my life I had to hear how bad it was to be colored this way. Especially if it took years for my older sister to love our skin. It’s not fair that my twerk means I have no self respect, but my friend Jenny’s twerk just means she’s having fun killing it. It’s definitely not fair that my hair- locked and curly is a problem on me but not a problem for the white women to whom Elle, Vogue and Allure appeal to. It’s not fair that Kylie Jenner has taken everything that I as a black girl was teased for and made it into something ‘litt’ for her own personal gain. I could go on and on about the other things that are coincidently okay on white women: my a**, my gele (Nigerian hair piece), my dashiki etc etc. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that black people in blonde weaves and blue contacts isn’t the same thing. It definitely is and I’ll entertain anyone who points that out. I’m just saying that I shouldn’t have to hear that my black looks better on a white woman.
