“Colourism” by Idoia Dizon As a Filipina girl growing up in the suburbs of central
“Colourism” by Idoia Dizon As a Filipina girl growing up in the suburbs of central Virginia, I am the minority by default. I’ve always known I was different from everyone here. I was the only non-blonde on my soccer teams. People would poke fun at my Basque name but would always end their “humorous” jabs with a half-hearted compliment to pretend it was just a harmless joke. Looking back on all the things I used to hate about my body, I can see that they were all characteristics of my Filipina genetics that set me apart from more Caucasian features. My nose was too big, my eyebrows were too thick, and of course, my skin was too dark. In fact, I distinctly remember the exact moment I realized I could never really fit in with my suburban, Caucasian neighbors. It was during middle school when a group of us were walking around outside after lunch that I told this one girl in our group that she was very pale. I should note that I’ve always wanted to be paler. My hopes to be paler were exemplified in my art as I drew characters with light skin and dark hair, and then in my photography when I found myself editing self-portraits to be paler. The girl I tried to compliment was irritated that I pointed that out and told me so as the others comforted her and reassured her hat her skin tone was nothing to worry about.It was at this moment that I realized the effects of the white beauty standard without really knowing what it was yet. The fact that a Caucasian girl didn’t want to look Caucasian was a funny concept to a little tan girl who constantly felt different and unnatural in her own community.My point is this: Colourism isn’t a new concept; it has existed for centuries and it will take a long time to completely refute. The road to recovery begins with acknowledging its existence and actively looking for ways to show the beauty of all ethnicities. Analyzing how much it affects you and figuring out how it makes you feel is a huge step towards ridding it from your life and subsequently loving yourself more. -- source link
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