That ‘scientific study’ that makes you hate your race
That ‘scientific study’ that makes you hate your race
Brown-skinned girls, look past racism to own your beauty
Writer’s note: This Blavity post was originally published on August 2, 2016.
Update on October 18, 2019: Cosmetic surgeon Dr Julian De Silva is back to creating delusional and racist studies about the most attractive women again. To no one’s surprise, the top 10 list looks about as predictable and un-Afrocentric as the previous one from 2016 (written about below). At least Beyonce made the list this time, especially considering she proudly claims her “Negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils.” She got points taken off for that when it came to nose dimensions.
I was raised by family members who were adamant about embracing multiculturalism — confident men and women who embraced African-American history, literature and features.
I’m a proud HBCU graduate who also did (college) time for two years in Marquette, Michigan. And although there were countless moments of culture shock for me in the upper peninsula, one conversation with a college friend still sticks out in my mind years later.
A Japanese friend of mine was complaining about her wavy hair, her fuller cheeks and the larger shape of her eyes. She told me: “Monnie-chan, people always think I am Hawaiian, anything but Japanese.”
I shrugged and said, “What’s wrong with that? There are plenty of pretty Hawaiian women. That’s not an insult.” And my homegirl was very pretty.
She looked at me with the “tsk-tsk” face and said, “You just don’t understand Asian beauty.”
She looked at me with the “tsk-tsk” face and said, “You just don’t understand Asian beauty.”
That comment was jarring for me. I kept thinking how miserable I would be if I was constantly comparing myself to somebody’s made-up standard of beauty that I would never reach. It seemed counterproductive, especially considering I think plastic surgery is almost always an absolute waste of money and I skip makeup 90 percent of the time (hey, Alicia Keys). “Embrace your face” is my motto.