The (White) Beauty Myth?

The White Beauty Myth (Documentary About Minorities In U.K. Wanting To Be White)

I have a B.S. in Sociology and studied this craziness endlessly, but it's still so CRAAAAAAAAZYYYYYY! There is a historical implication behind this due to colonialism and slavery, but wth? Albeit, there are traumatic events that precluded their obsession with cosmetic procedures and "solutions to erase the "ugly", but the psychological wounds need to heal before taking such drastic cosmetic measures!


In my family there are two different ends of the spectrum. In fact my mother's maternal features are that of the fair-skinned (exactly what i don't know, we never have discussed that) and her paternal side is darker. My mother is of a darker complexion but has a straight, pointy nose, long hair, thinner lips, etc.... Now my father's maternal ancestry is definitely mixed (my dad, aunts, grandmother) are very fair-skinned (nearly white)with straight hair, but the paternal end is darker complected. My father has a wide nose, big lips, etc...like my grandfather. Out of my siblings I am the lightest, but I do not consider myself as being "light-skinned" (maybe i am in denial because in the winter i get really pale and bright), however I am the only one that has my father/grandfather's wide flat nose (described as haitians say; "zel-jet" airplane wings), big lips, and a high forehead. I was the "ugliest", not ugly though..as if it matters,thanks... because I looked like my grandfather! I am ashamed to admit but when I was a kid I used to think my grandfather looked like a gorilla!!! As a child I was ashamed and sometimes ostracized because of my lips and forehead, as an adult I am secure and love it. My face is interesting and has character...it tells the story of my ancestry.

I know of some people who say they want kids that are "light-skinned with good hair". I have heard people comment that "mixed" babies are never ugly. They intentionally reproduce with those of the opposite race to yield children with certain characteristics. My family comes in so many shades but we never discriminate, we never fight each other or think one is better than the other. In fact, it seems that there is more so a trend (based on my grandparents) of lighter-skinned women procreating with darker-skinned males. I never preferred a man of certain complexion, but I did end up falling in love with a fair-skinned, biracial male a.k.a high yella, redbone...and NOT because of that! It was so annoying that my bff's potential mates prerequisites were light-skinned, curly hair. My other bff will not date men with light-skin but her sister married a white man so she could have children with...ya know...light skin, good hair. I JUST DON'T HAVE A PREFERENCE!

My sister's second child came out to be as light as I am..she is dark-skinned as well as her husband and other children. It just so happens that my light-skinned, ratbastard nephew (kidding) makes fun of his dark-skinned sister because she has the darkest complexion! My sister is constantly reminding her that, "Baby girl you are beautiful like the color of chocolate". I'm still wondering who taught him that?! It just so happens that our son is the opposite of his dad, with coarser hair than mine, my wide and flat nose, big lips, and forehead, and somehow a tad darker than I...you would never guess that his grandmother is Caucasian. He is beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL (he really is such a handsome cutie)!!!! I am so glad I was able to appreciate and love my facial distinctions before I conceived a child who just happens to have my distinct facial features.