Unmask thyself

Would you believe at one point or several in my life I aspired to acquire the pallor of a British actress? The complexion of those Chinese college girls strutting around university grounds and halls was so enviable to me!!! This obssession was prevalent in my days as a young collegiate student. Somehow colleagues manage to give me the assumption that the lighter your skin color was the more attractive you were. I hated my darkish skin as if it were a malady which had ruined the pink of my health haha

Hour upon hour, bleach powder on top of whitening soap on top of fruit extract astringent, the tedious process of turning my skin Lucy Liu-esque filled my whole schedule when I was not in school. I virtually turned my room and our bathroom into a whirlwind of flu-inducing powder and repulsive toxic smells.My Mom was scolding me to the heavens after each and every "mortuary" session in the hopes that I would come out with a Winona Ryder pallor haha...

Of course my efforts failed miserably!!!! Because my mom had dark skin and the genetic strain well...strained onto me, her only Negroid daughter LOL, it was impossible to defy genetics! Plus it would have taken a miracle to lighten my skin because I was naturally dark. You cannot change complexion well maybe you can make it lighter but you are always going to belong to the same hue in the human palette of skin shades! I never quite succeeded despite my valliance and loyalty to these routines. The results of such a regimen were disastrous! My body hair turned so white it looked like that of a street dog's haha My skin became so dry it seemed parchmental in texture...

A few years later I stopped all these. Then when I started travelling I began to somehow just enjoy and accept the reality of my natural darkish skin tone. This was probably because the Gospel of Moisturising preached itself unto me. I started to just invest in good lotions and I just liked the glow of dark(!!!) but very supple and taut skin. Also I discovered a few cosmetic brands which helped colored women look more natural when they wore makeup. Thank God for MAC makeup!!! hahahah I have a rather sizeable collection of brushes and powders and creams which celebrate my complexion! hehehe

I also have to give credit to the fact that in many ways the world had become small for me and appreciation of dark-skinned women became more visible in today's media. This was like finally finding the Valhalla of Norse beauty for me hehe. Plus many people began to compliment me me on how nice my skin was. It was a heady feeling for someone who not ten years ago felt so ugly because of her dark skin.

I know I am against all kinds of complacency especially when it comes to my looks but I realise that in many ways somehow the true meaning of satisfaction is appreciating and making do with what you already possess. Changing yourself constantly will only be a tiring process which will leave you suffocated just as I felt nauseous with the whitening powders i used to dab on my skin. Lesson learned...enjoy yourself, your beauty and thenyou will realize life becomes smoother and easier by doing so :)