#black women are beautiful

Becoming comfortable with change

The older I get, the stronger my ability to navigate change with ease.

My thought process has evolved. I’m embracing change and confidently meeting it and moving through it.

I no longer invest in things that fail to bring me joy, peace, or enlightenment.

I no longer engage with people who don’t recognise and appreciate my efforts to maintain a connection.

I no longer seek approval concerning my achievements, strategies to overcome obstacles, and future aspirations.

I no longer grant extended family members, colleagues, aquitances, or old school friends access to my innermost thoughts or experiences.

I’ve grown to cherish quality time with my partner, immediate family, and dearest friends.

I’ve grown to love my flaws, while acknowledging that I’m a working progress.

I’m focused, I no longer resist change that feels uncomfortable or threatening.

Because I rest in the fact that God knows best, so if I continue to put all my trust in Him, my life is guaranteed to be beautiful (Amin Ase).

Author - @iameriwa

Model - Oriane Adjibi @myfashionbreak

Bridgerton: Colourism in Action

I finally got round to watching the Netflix series Bridgerton, by Executive producer Shonda Rhimes.

Like many Black women, I was eager to watch a fictitious show that would hopefully be “inclusive of all races” more importantly, I was sure that the show would go against the grain and cast Black dark skin women in leading roles.

I was sadly mistaken.

All the unambiguous looking Black women with dark to brown skin tones were casted as subservient characters with little to no lines, and used as part of the background scenery.

While the key female characters of colour were played by the following ambiguous looking Black women and Bi-racial women:

Golda Rosheuvel - plays Queen Charlotte

Adjoa Andoh - plays Lady Danbury

Ruby Barker - plays Marina Thompson

Kathryn Dysdale - plays Genevieve Delacroix

Emma Naomi plays - Alice Mondrich

I’m not surprised but I am disappointed, as this could have been avoided.

From a representation standpoint, Bridgerton is perpetuating the notion that Black women with light skin, particularly women with mixed ancestry, are more deserving of opportunities, admiration and a voice, over Black women with darker skin and Afrocentric phenotypes.

Colourism is just as dangerous on screen as it is off screen, as it reinforces the idea that dark skin is not good enough, or palatable for the dominate race to accept.

Anyway, I want to reinforce that lighter skin is not more beautiful than darker skin, they’re equally beautiful. However, I appreciate that so many, especially gatekeepers within media still haven’t got the memo.

Author - @iameriwa

in this game play ya cards right or get left and starve

Solange

Spring

Melanin.

Face.

–

dreams-in-blk:

Black Beauty. Resplendent in all Her forms. Blessed Be She.

dreams-in-blk:

Melanin Magic.

dreams-in-blk:

Black beauty in white.

Inspired by Coolio

Cues “as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I take a look at my life…. “