I was at the park the other day with my daughters when I saw another group of little girls playing there too. The oldest–about 8 I would say–was ridiculously beautiful with caramel-colored skin, long flowing hair, big brown eyes, and a very stylish outfit, I might add.
At one point, while they were all laughing and playing, the oldest girl said, "Let's go play in the shade, I wouldn't want to get any darker." I felt my heart break. I wanted to run over to that little girl and tell her that the ridiculous and arbitrary notion that getting darker would somehow make her less attractive was total B.S. and also, racist.
How many of us have heard a parents say this to a child, or been subject to it as little kids ourselves?
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Who told her that she needed to stay out of the sun, not to prevent sun-damage or skin cancer, but because she "wouldn't want to get any darker." And why? Why wouldn't she want to get any darker?
Mothers can we please just stop passing on this nonsense to our children? Nonsense that was passed on to us. It needs to end NOW. All shades of skin can be and are beautiful.
This little girl's comment brought back memories of cousins being told to get out of the sun for fear that they would get darker. Like being darker was such a bad and unattractive thing to be. It's not!!!
Please, please, PLEASE stop putting this nonsense out there and if you have that nonsense in your own head, it's time to let it go. Embrace every single shade that your skin is capable of being and know that you are just as beautiful when you are darkest as you are when you are fairest.
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