1 . Letting go of euro beauty standards .
2 . Take time out for yourself .
Promotion of Self Love
By : Aislinn Wallace “ If I didn ’ t define myself for myself , I would be crunched into other people ’ s fantasies for me and eaten alive . ” – Audre Lorde
We all know how important loving ourselves is , but do we truly do it ? How well do we combat our insecurities , or take time out for ourselves . How well do we not compare our lives to those we deem better than us . What does better even mean ? When you start to ask those questions and let go of what society may see as normal , and unpack your own uniqueness ; your happiness and self love will shine .
How do we do this ?
This piece is like I ’ m writing to myself . I ’ ve accomplished a couple of these tips , but I ’ m still struggling , but this is what I know I should do ...
1 . Letting go of euro beauty standards .
As Black women , our first step to loving ourselves is letting go of social norms and standards of beauty . We ’ re surrounded by images that promote beauty that look nothing like us . We ’ re taught from an early age that kinky , curly , coarse hair isn ’ t beautiful . Our brown complexions are seen as either as problematic , not as attractive or it ’ s fetishized . We grow up believing white features are the norm for what is attractive . This brainwashing gives women of color an unique obstacle to overcome . So we have to surround ourselves with images of us . We tell parents to do this with their children , but I believe it ’ s important for adults to do the same .
I fell in love with my hair when I started wearing it natural by watching youtube videos of women with similar hair textures , and lengths as mine . And I started joining facebook groups that promoted black beauty . To see other black women , women who looked like me , look so flawless and amazing in all of their natural beauty gave me such a confidence boost to appreciate and love my own hair in its natural state , and my other black features . Once you see the true beauty in your melanin and hair texture , and length you would have taken a huge step in truly loving yourself .
2 . Take time out for yourself .
This may seem simple but as we live our day to day we get caught up in our careers , children , spouses , stresses , just life stuff ; when we all need to take a break from it all . We usually call this a vacation , but time out for yourself shouldn ’ t be a special occasion . It should be part of a routine , even if it ’ s not daily , at least make it weekly . Get into a room all by yourself or go to one of