09/10/2025
FEATURE | ๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
The more we try to comply with the standards of the world, the more we belittle ourselves and hide who we really are. Societyโs idea of beauty is too narrow, and colorism shows how unfair that can be.
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ (noun): prejudice or discrimination, especially within a racial or ethnic group, favoring people with lighter skin over those with darker skin.
I was never insecure about my skin, not until others pointed out that a certain color didnโt suit me, not until a relative told me, "๐๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฑ๐ถ๐ต๐ช ๐ฌ๐ข," and not until a friend suggested that I start using whitening products.
As I grew older, I began to wonder: ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก? It became a silent question I carried within me, as I learned that society often expects us to conform to the standards others set for us.
Itโs a struggle, as we continue to assign meaning to the colors of our skinโthe lighter, the better; the darker, the less attractive. We judge and get judged by this imaginary scale of beauty, a measure that decides whether weโre even worthy of being called beautiful. And in media, we donโt see dark skin as often as light skinโa hidden bias I have come to realize and now often notice.
And itโs a sad reality that this insecurity is passed down from generation to generationโan insecurity that flows from one child to another, stopping us from embracing the color we are born with, a color that represents both you and me. A color that should be praised for its uniqueness and complexity is now labeled an โinsecurity,โ simply because society has learned to consider embracing it as ugly.
Iโve learned to break free from that mindset. I will never be insecure about my skinโbecause I have learned to embrace what I have, rather than compare it with what I donโt. I am proud of what I have, and as Iโve come to realize, beauty isnโt limitedโitโs diverse.
Comparison to others is easy, yet loving ourselves is difficult. Whatโs truly ugly is the perception that beauty must follow a set of rules, standards, and opinions, when in reality it should be diverse, unique, and free.
โ๏ธ| April Eli
๐ผ| Naz Cuatriz
