Category : Poems

Sub Category : N/A

This poem is very near and dear to my heart. I dealt with being insecure about my skin color when I was younger and it's something I know a lot of darker skin toned black women and men (as well as women and men from other cultural backgrounds) struggle with as well. I believe everyone, no matter your ethnicity, is beautiful/handsome in our own ways and that we should all love and embrace our looks and unique personalities. This poem is a dedication to the younger me who would ponder the thought of why she wasn't considered beautiful or pretty because of her skin's color and why women of her skin complexion or darker, would receive so much hate just for looking the way we do. It's also dedicated to any other black girl or woman who had a similar struggle with their appearances growing up. Please enjoy.


~If I had the chance to speak to my younger self, here is what I'd say.
I'd tell that beautiful black girl to learn to love and appreciate her African roots and her skin's heavenly shade.

I'd tell her to grow to be so confident that she wouldn't seek out validation from anyone, but that she'd validate her own beauty everyday, know her worth and keep her head up.

I'd tell that little girl that could also be a Barbie, that she too could be a Princess and to love and embrace her hair just the way that it is; curly. 

I'd tell that little girl that she is a superhero in her own right. I'd say to her that her skin has a power like no other to glow in the face of the sun's golden light.

I'd tell her not to allow herself even for just a second to believe that she wasn't ever going to be good enough because of the complexion of her skin. I'd tell her to instead take the Willie Lynch Theory and do away with it.

I'd tell that little girl not to dare of one day purchasing ''beauty supplies'' that will lighten her skin, but to remember what she believed about herself before she was told that the skin she was in wasn't considered beautiful, but instead it's considered to be less than.

I'd tell my younger self that she and other black girls need to know this truth; the truth being that they are beautiful no matter their skin's hue. Whether you're labeled as a black girl with ''dark skin,'' ''brown skin,'' or ''light skin,'' your worth is undeniable. That's what I would say to my younger self. Goodbye, until part 2.~

Shades, by Natasha Moran (ReneéRose🌹🥀🌹)