Pantyhose and shapewear: Acknowledge the skin I’m in

Undergarments and shoe lines finally tackle questionable ‘nude’ shades

Photo credit: lucas da miranda/Pexels

I am a Kit Kat in the winter and Dove Dark Chocolate in the summer. My hair randomly changes from black to random sprinkles of light and medium brown when the seasons change. (I’ll never dye it for that reason alone.) And I’m always prepared to adjust the lighting on any photograph I take, especially if I do so with my lighter-skinned family, friends and storytelling guests — and even more during a Chicago hot summer.

Melanin-rich women know exactly what I mean by the lighting adjustment line. Whether we’re hanging outside with friends, voluntarily tanning or just running errands near sunshine, our “nude” is deeply rich shades of browns. When the sun is on us, we glisten. And when we get all dressed up to go out for a night on the town, we also prepare for something else. While shopping, we know we’ll have a helluva time in the undergarment aisle trying to find shapewear (usually Spanx), pantyhose, knee highs or neutral shoes that don’t make us look like four different shades of brown in the same outfit. And “nude” needs to find a new name because it is not nude for us.