reclaimthebindi:Growing up as a dark-skinned Tamil woman was not the easiest thing in the world. I u

reclaimthebindi:

Growing up as a dark-skinned Tamil woman was not the easiest thing in the world. I used to be jealous of the fair-skinned actresses I saw in the movies and wondered why I couldn’t be beautiful like they were. My mother would put fair and lovely on me every day because she said it made me look clean,as if my dark skin was dirty. To add to that, I grew up in an all white neighborhood where kids were very cruel and made fun of my skin color and my culture and it made loving myself very hard to do. It was definitely a long winding road to self love and I still struggle with it today.Thankfully, I have surrounded myself with people who love me for who I am on the inside and the outside. So here I am, reclaiming the bindi and saying a big EFF YOU  to all those who made fun me and my “smelly lunches” :)  I am beautiful. I am a proud South Indian woman.