The Beauty of Brown Skin

I was born with brown skin. As a young girl, I didn't think twice about my skin color. But as I grew older, I began to develop negative feelings about how I looked because fair skin is highly desired and considered more attractive in much of Asia. This was confusing and made me feel bad about something that was beyond my control.

At school, friends would call me "hitam manis", which means "sweet, dark-skinned," and would hold up their arms next to mine and marvel at how much lighter their skin was. Feeling increasingly insecure about my appearance, I got to the point where I would rub baby powder into my skin, trying to lighten it.

The beauty standards promoted in Asian media, where Western ideals of fair skin are celebrated, only exacerbated my insecurities. The beauty marketers in these countries mostly push women to lighten their skin, not men, since it's women who are regularly judged on their looks and physical appearance.

Men with lighter skin also are seen as more attractive and desirable than their dark-skinned counterparts by much of the female public. I can't help but wonder how many more women and girls would benefit from movies that feature females with dark skin. There are so many beautiful and talented dark-skinned women, so why don't we see more of them up on the screen? Embracing diversity and putting more dark-skinned women in films would go a long way toward changing antiquated views of what it means to be beautiful and desirable.

We are beautiful just the way we are, regardless of our skin color. I hope that by sharing my story, I can inspire others to embrace the unique beauty of their brown skin and not let societal pressures dictate how they should feel about themselves.

#3rdCulture #Vulnerable