Beauty, brains, sheltered, judge and envied but loved
Nevaeh Shorter, Irving, TX These six words sketch the real texture of my days as a Black girl growing up. People often tell me I’m...
“Brains, beauty, curves — envied, judged, fetishized.”
Cornelia Amoussou, Des Moines, IA I chose these six words because they capture how my identity as a Black woman is often reduced to stereotypes....
I hate South Korean beauty standards.
Ally, USA. I know that in the past, it was better to have lighter skin because that meant you weren’t poor, but now, with all...
Family contrast black white shows beauty
Sherry Weaver, Woodstock, GA. Our family is a beautiful rainbow. We are pink with brown spots and brown with pink spots. We are just a...
Everyone is unique on their own
Pam Hung, Fort Worth, TX Every race and every culture has a distinct beauty within them. Just as everyone is different based on race, we...
The perfect woman do not exist- La mujer perfecta no existe!
Laura A Cruz, Hicksville, NY The gender roles are the expectations that society has for how people act, speak, dress, and groom based on their...
Diversity is central to my identity
Sabiha Viswanathan, Menlo Park, CA. Race is beauty. I could not imagine my life without diversity. Learning about different cultures has fostered my love of...
Dating: I’m too dark for him?!
Anonymous, Northampton, MA. He’s a white European, and has never considered black women to be attractive, apparently until he met me and we got to...
Cultural Gatekeepers Defile Black People’s Beauty
Deborah Sanders New York, NY Racism has become so deeply ingrained in our culture that we are often only able to recognize the most obvious...
Grandma called me “pretty colored girl”
R. Denise Everson, Washington, DC. My grandmother reared me. Her positive expressions of beauty being black shaped my perception and made me proud to be...
Mom said brown girls are ugly.
Anna, Santa Maria, CA. I am a 47 year old Filipina. I remember being constantly compared to my lighter skinned cousins and feeling awkward to...
Mom said brown girls are ugly.
Anna, Santa Maria, CA. I am a 47 year old Filipina. I remember being constantly compared to my lighter skinned cousins and feeling awkward to...
You’re pretty for a black girl.
Deja, Moreno Valley, CA. This statement literally kills me . “Pretty for a black girl” I didn’t know “pretty” depended on your skill color ....
Brown girl rejected with red blood
Anonymous, USA. Grew up as the only little brown girl in class, always having to explain why my hair grew up to the skies when...
RACE isn’t culture or beauty. Brains are.
Aida Verri, New Orleans, LA. You are not ugly, pretty, stupid, smart, strong, weak, violent or calm because of your “race”. Your skin color isn’t...
