Controversy: Is Lighter Skin Better Than Darker Skin?

I happened to be watching The Tyra Show today and the topic was on African-American women who believe that lighter skinned people are superior to darker skinned people, so these women go to dangerous measures just to have lighter skin. One lady even went as far as pouring liquid bleach on her face!

What shocked me the most was that there was a lady who actually bleached the skin of her children. She had 3 boys, ages 4, 6, & 8. She said she applied bleaching cream to their faces every morning before they went to school. Her reason for this is that she believes that their lighter skin gives a good impression on others.

I believe that no matter what race, color, or shade you are, you should just be proud of who you are as a person. I myself, being mixed race (Black & Caucasian), have been teased by both the black and white community. I didn’t know where I fit in.

But I eventually came to realize that I don’t care to fit in, I am my own person and I am glad to be both black and white. But this is not just a black & white issue. There is hate in every ethnic community. The “Chinese” hate the “Japanese”, even though they are both considered Asian.

The “Puerto Ricans” hate the “Mexicans”, even though they are both considered Hispanics. The darker-skinned African-Americans hate the lighter-skinned African Americans, even though they are all African-American. So the same with Irish, Swedish, Italian, Jewish, and other Caucasians who have hate against one another.

This is a universal issue that can only be solved within the racial community and it starts with “self”. Love yourself for who you are. You are beautiful, no matter what race or skin-tone you are. If people learn to love themselves for who they are as a person, then they in turn will learn to love others for who they are.