Why Black Women With Dark Skin Are Beautiful

Though this message is not promoted or affirmed within our society: Black women with dark skin ARE beautiful. Sadly, we have to combat a dismal representation of ourselves in mainstream media and blatantly hateful stereotypes when we do get mentioned.

This, alongside legacies of anti-Black colonialism and misogynoir (the intersections of misogyny and racism), creates a culture of colorism—the hierarchal preference for lighter skin—within (and definitely outside of) the Black community, making self-esteem and self-love an arduous journey for so many of us.

However, mainstream media is a DAMN lie!

Black women, in all of our regal complexions, are beautiful. We deserve to be affirmed and celebrated inside and outside our communities. But, most importantly, we deserve to celebrate and affirm ourselves.

Closed captions are available. This video is courtesy of Button Poetry. For more amazing spoken word performances, check them out on YouTube and Facebook.

Please read the following Everyday Feminism articles to read more about the unique oppressions that Black women face:

• 9 Things Everyone Needs to Stop Saying to Black Women Immediately
• 5 Ways the Word ‘Strong’ is Used Against Black Women
• 5 Ways to Rise Up Against Toxic Media Messages and Love Yourself as a Black Woman
• How the Black Community Can Be More Supportive of Black Queer Women

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Tova Charles, a graduate of the University of Houston with a BA in English Lit, is a powerhouse performing spoken word artist that has been taking the Slam community by storm since 2008. She has also work as the Creative director for They Speak, Austin’s premier youth poetry slam with the late Dr. Sheila Siobhan. Her album “Something New” is out now on Reverbnation.com.