Dear Brown Skinned Girl #BrownSkinGirlChallenge

So we brown skinned girls are currently in the spotlight and I'm totally here for it. This is all thanks to the release of Brown Skin Girl from The Lion King: The Gift album in which Beyoncè, Wizkid, SAINt JHN and Blue Ivy all harmoniously sang our praises. I wasn't surprised by this simply because we are worthy of all the praise that was given to us. However, I'm still proud that for the the first time in the history of music, brown skinned girls are being appreciated. Now I know that I've written something for my fellow brown skinned sisters but the Beyoncè fan in me just had to take part in the Brown Skin Girl Challenge somehow. What better way to do that than an appreciation post for all my chocolate sisters?

With the whole world treating us as though we collectively committed some heinous crime, it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling inadequate and unworthy of fair treatment. The uproar on social media over Chloè Bailey being chosen to play Disney's Ariel was just another reminder of how we as brown skinned girls are still considered unworthy by the rest of the world. 

However, we black women are not only beautiful but strong too. That is why we still rise above all the criticism and live our best lives. It's not always easy for us to do this though. From a young age, most black girls are taught that something is wrong with the colour of their skin. I didn't experience this first hand but I have witnessed it many times. It's heartbreaking that those who were supposed to guide and protect us are the ones who instilled feelings of insecurity in us. Some which we are still battling to overcome till date.

Everything we as brown skinned girls are put through is what makes our stories so beautiful. We are expected to prove ourselves time and time again but that has never stopped us from achieving our goals. Most of us have to start from the bottom in terms of self love and acceptance due to having been taught that we're not good enough throughout our entire lives. Despite all this, we are still able to learn to love ourselves and gain confidence without anyone's help! If that is not black girl magic, I don't know what is.

From one carefree brown skinned girl to another, I want you to know that your skin is not only dark but it shines and tells your story (shout out to Queen B). Yes, it really sucks that we have to work harder than everyone else to accomplish the exact same thing but that's okay because it only makes our skins thicker. Let us continue to love ourselves and each other regardless of how our skin tones are perceived by the rest of the world. Let us remind each other how beautiful, resilient and intelligent we are. Let us turn this Brown Skin Girl trend into a lifestyle of loving and accepting ourselves fully.  And finally, let us unapologetically embrace our brown skin and allow our melanin to pop. 

With love
The Brown Sugar Babe