international runways that she felt her beauty was affirmed, as her beauty was celebrated in fashion magazines and runway shows. She “saw a reflection of herself” in Wek, and this validation of her beauty led her on a journey towards the realization that one’s beauty. s not “a thing that [she] could acquire or consume, it was something that [she] just had to be,” inside and out. Nyong’o’s speech highlights the disparity in the representation of darker-hued women in Hollywood and mainstream media. The experience of being a woman of color—particularly a woman of African heritage—in America today is one that offers few reflections of ourselves in the images we see daily. Luckily, women of color are taking things into their own hands, proclaiming our beauty for the world to see and recognize. This begins with frank discussions about colorism within the Black community in America.
BuzzFeed recently posted a video discussing the effects of colorism on the lives of a range of interviewees. The video highlighted the microaggressions that darker-skinned people of color experience daily, and called attention to the fact that the experience of colorism shapes the way an individual views him- or herself. Colorism can affect the individual’s relationship with his or her body and skin color, thus causing lasting psychological scars that affect day-to-day interactions. I grapple with those scars, growing up in a word that denied my beauty. I am fortunate enough to have a family that celebrates and reaffirms my inner and outer beauty often. It is because of them that I stand tall in my belief in my beauty, despite not getting that affirmation from the images I see around me. It is my hope though, that those without the strong family foundation that validates the beauty of dark skin can learn and proclaim their beauty, and this begins with critical conversations about colorism and representation.
© T. Olubunmi Olosunde 2016
All rights reserved.
Written by T. Olubunmi Olosunde