Proud to be Dark

How many times have I been asked to go bleach my skin or shower my body with whitening lotions? Countless! I'm serious. I really can't remember.

Asia, this strange continent, is silly when it comes to defining what beauty is. For many, white is pretty; dark is ugly. Period.

Since childhood, I've been discriminated against, made fun of, and shunned at just for my skin tone. People called me Sreymao which means 'dark girl' without noticing how I felt, and how much I hated that name. Now that I recall those times, it amazed me how sensitive they were.

But I passed through it. I learned to disregard their rude comments, their insensitivities,and just moved on with my life. I have been successful in doing that. Good for me. Really.

However, this issue came back to my mind lately. It's been a while I had not thought much about it because I've been abroad a lot and did not get reminded much about how my society is still looking down on people with dark skin. It recently brought to my attention that it's still there. I know it because of my friends' facebook posts and whining about how dark they are and that they are really depressed now. But guess what? They're literallyfive times fairer than me. I read those posts and be like, "Seriously?" (Sigh)

As the result, I posted a picture of mine with this caption preaching how much I love myself and that I am proud of my own skin because I really am. The reactions were phenomenal. I learned that so many friends of mine (including those coming from other countries in Asia)get encouraged by the post and they started sharing it, hoping it helps their other female friends feel good too. I am so happy I could do this bit to make a difference in my girlfriends' lives. I hope you all feel the same after reading it.

The quote:

Don't let anyone tell you that you're not beautiful, that you need to bleach your skin, fix your teeth, straighten your hair, undergo a plastic surgery...etc. NO, NEVER give them the power to put pressure on you to change your look just to fit into their beauty standard.
You are already beautiful. It's just that for the simple mind, it takes some additional nice clothes, pretty accessories to help them see that you are actually beautiful. So yeah, choose the right clothing/accessories, but never go too far into hurting yourself just to be "beautiful". You already are. Remember that!

Proud#to#be#Dark--Go on, tell me again to go bleach my skin:D