Melanin (not) popping
With the rise of black women embracing their "blackness", some of us have been left behind, especially when the discussion moves from hair to skin complexion. I don't know about other so called "yellow bones" (I hate the term by the way, it makes no sense, there's no biological relation between pigmentation and bones, anyway), I feel kinda left out on "melanin monday" and feel it would be a bit weird to post a selfie with the hashtag #melaninpoppin because, well, my melanin ain't popping much. But I don't believe that makes me less "black" or less "African".
The English word 'melanin' originates from the Greek word 'melas' which means 'black'. Biologically, it is defined as the pigment that gives human skin, hair, and eyes their color. Dark-skinned people have more melanin in their skin than light-skinned people have. And Melanin has it's share of advantages, not only does it offer protection against the sun's harmful rays, but it also has great elasticity, meaning it has anti-aging properties; hence the phrase "black don't crack."
Black people are referred to as black majorly because of the darkness of their skin color, so my 'blackness' comes into question when my melanin ain't playing along.
Some people have thought I'm colored. One cashier once told me how she had been waiting for me to say something so she'd see if I was colored by the language I used. We laughed about it because I had used both English and Zulu. My point is, you're suspected to have something that 'diluted' your 'blackness' when you're light-skinned.
Sure, I've come to know that a great grandmother on my mother's side was colored. But I've never questioned my 'blackness', well not before it was imposed on me. And don't get me wrong, I am happy, very happy, just the way I am, I will not be tanning myself in the near or far future. I just think our understanding of blackness shouldn't lean too strong on skin shade.
This complexion thing is actually madness. The industry of skin-whitening or bleaching products is one established one because some aren't happy with the great amount of their melanin. Some light skinned blacks have even considered themselves "better" than the darker-shaded ones. I remember a Tyra Banks Show episode I once watched where women were close to clawing one other over the shade of their skin. Like I said, madness. But the dialogue was intriguing. They even spoke of how black men fuel this fire with their preference of light-skinned woman. Let's not even go there.
It all boils down to insecurity (yep, I'm still reading Beth's book, I can sense insecurity from a mile away). You are insecure if you feel you'd be more beautiful, more loved, more accepted, more secure if you had a different shade of skin. And trust me, once you go a shade lighter, or darker, you'll find something else you don't like about yourself. So how about you love you the way you are; sure you can add a lil' make up here and there to enhance your features, but stay woke, you're enhancing, not hiding.
I love Solomon's bae when it came to this. Listen to her:
"Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Salma." Songs of Songs 1:5
She's not in denial of her darkness, she fully comprehends it, a little to fully, but she's also not ashamed of it, she completely embraces it.
So yeah, I'm a black sister, all kinky-haired and brown-eyed, sure I'm light skinned, but I'm as black as they come!
The English word 'melanin' originates from the Greek word 'melas' which means 'black'. Biologically, it is defined as the pigment that gives human skin, hair, and eyes their color. Dark-skinned people have more melanin in their skin than light-skinned people have. And Melanin has it's share of advantages, not only does it offer protection against the sun's harmful rays, but it also has great elasticity, meaning it has anti-aging properties; hence the phrase "black don't crack."
Black people are referred to as black majorly because of the darkness of their skin color, so my 'blackness' comes into question when my melanin ain't playing along.
Some people have thought I'm colored. One cashier once told me how she had been waiting for me to say something so she'd see if I was colored by the language I used. We laughed about it because I had used both English and Zulu. My point is, you're suspected to have something that 'diluted' your 'blackness' when you're light-skinned.
Sure, I've come to know that a great grandmother on my mother's side was colored. But I've never questioned my 'blackness', well not before it was imposed on me. And don't get me wrong, I am happy, very happy, just the way I am, I will not be tanning myself in the near or far future. I just think our understanding of blackness shouldn't lean too strong on skin shade.
This complexion thing is actually madness. The industry of skin-whitening or bleaching products is one established one because some aren't happy with the great amount of their melanin. Some light skinned blacks have even considered themselves "better" than the darker-shaded ones. I remember a Tyra Banks Show episode I once watched where women were close to clawing one other over the shade of their skin. Like I said, madness. But the dialogue was intriguing. They even spoke of how black men fuel this fire with their preference of light-skinned woman. Let's not even go there.
It all boils down to insecurity (yep, I'm still reading Beth's book, I can sense insecurity from a mile away). You are insecure if you feel you'd be more beautiful, more loved, more accepted, more secure if you had a different shade of skin. And trust me, once you go a shade lighter, or darker, you'll find something else you don't like about yourself. So how about you love you the way you are; sure you can add a lil' make up here and there to enhance your features, but stay woke, you're enhancing, not hiding.
I love Solomon's bae when it came to this. Listen to her:
"Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Salma." Songs of Songs 1:5
She's not in denial of her darkness, she fully comprehends it, a little to fully, but she's also not ashamed of it, she completely embraces it.
So yeah, I'm a black sister, all kinky-haired and brown-eyed, sure I'm light skinned, but I'm as black as they come!
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