I suppose we can psychoanalyze the history of the dark skinned girl versus the light skinned girl, and break down why there has always been such a deep rooted feeling of what I can only describe as self hatred. We can trace it to slavery, to the brown paper bag syndrome and so much more. But today in 2013, we are witnessing a time that sees people like Viola Davis succeed yet not get the same adoration as Halle Berry. We see artists like Rihanna and Beyonce garner more attention than some of their darker skinned peers. It’s hard to believe that we are any more evolved than we were 10, 20, or even 30 years ago.
I still sit in a space of insecurity. I’ve received compliments about my skin tone, but yet and still I feel that I am not pretty. I often still feel that I am too dark. I often still feel that I will never get the same amount of love and appreciation that light skinned women of color get. I often still hear the words tar baby and black banana permeate through my head. I often still look at myself in the mirror and wonder why my complexion is not good enough. I believe that I am beautiful. I believe that I am beautiful within my soul. But, when I think of black beauty, the images that flash across my face tend to be of light skinned women. It’s not until I think about it that I say well women like Naomi Campbell and Lauryn Hill are beautiful. I suppose at the end of the day, it begins with me and other women just like me. If we don’t fight for ourselves and declare that dark girls truly do embody beauty and believe it….who will?