Our bodies’ unique features individualize us. They’re what sets us apart from everyone else around us. It’s important to embrace the unique aspects of our bodies as the beautiful gifts that we have been blessed with.
Not only would changing our mindsets benefit us, but it would also help those around us. If you are a mother, sister, friend, or daughter, embracing your body and all of its parts sets a precedent for all women and Shaniera Akram is doing just that!
Earlier today, she took to Instagram to open up about her struggles as a white woman who wanted to go all-out to look tan because she was told it was desirable.
“When I was growing up, we rubbed harmful oil on our faces and bodies and lay out all day in the harsh UV sun and burn to a crisp, just so that in 3-4 days the red and extremely painful burn would die down and eventually we would have a brown tan! We would also spend hours lying in a solarium which is fake sunlight machine risking skin cancers, skin disease, spots and adding years to our faces causing wrinkles and irreversible damage,” she wrote.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8vcBc0gKVJ/?igshid=12fbc0mtsj3nx
“And when the sun wasn’t available we would also rub toxic stains and dyes in to our skin everyday to give our skin a 3-5 shades darker sun kissed brown look.”
She concluded her note with a positive message to all brown girls that you’re beautiful no matter what and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
“What I’m trying to say is don’t try and change who you are, be happy underneath your skin, your beauty is interpreted by you, you are beautiful no matter what your skin colour is! And just remember, to all the girls with brown skin who want white, you are the envy of half the women on this planet, women and girls all over the world that go to any extremes to have your colour skin, so that’s got to be something worth enjoying!” she added.
Colorism in Pakistan isn’t just prejudice, it’s almost dehumanizing. You’re constantly told success is only for fair-skinned people, and god forbid, if you’re four shades darker than the colour of flour, you’re probably too dark.
Kudos to Shaniera Akram for spreading such a positive message!
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