The Pursuit Of Yellow( Perfection)

So, I have been battling in my spirit with what to write about. There is a lot going on right now and the chaos....I am trying not to get neck deep in controversy.

Then I watched Skin on Netflix. It's a documentary by Beverly Naya on the black skin, I recommend 100% for you guys to go watch it. When it got to the part where Tenicoco was speaking about how she felt so insecure about her skin during her UNI days....took me down memory lane.

I got into university at 16. I was naive and i did not have a lot of self confidence. I remember that I sometimes get this  you dark sha comments from class mates and a few acquaintances. 

 My Uni then, we lived off campus. My Landlord's son gave me a nickname shaming my skin colour   ''dudumadu". So one day, I summoned up courage to ask him  if he really thought been dark was an aberration, he laughed and then said as far as he was concerned, my skin tone stood out. 

Me: *insert rolling eyes here* NO!!.  just in case you are wondering, I have never been treated differently by my parents, no one in secondary school thought i was  too dark. But here you are always saying it and a few people on campus too. 

I remember his girlfriend then saying to me, you just need to tone  up and your inner "colour" will flourish and glow. According to her, the HIP boys on campus most definitely will chase after the lighter skinned girls  If not you will pass through university without any one looking your way. Imagine that "weight" of you are not good enough been put on a 16 year old child.

You can imagine my shock when a young handsome boy then asked me out in Uni. So, you mean  this skin tone can actually pull a Hip dude ? We dark girls stood a chance of being seen? Years down the line, thinking about that episode maybe if i was light skinned I wouldn't have gotten into that situation-ship with the guy then, but the thought of I'm not doomed after all overtook my senses.

Many years gone by now and the whole episode brings me to how society and people place too much pressure on people to measure up or expect that their own standard to be the yardstick for others. Black is seen as not all that...the lighter you are the better. The light skinned girls get all the male attention, they win beauty pageants, they secure jobs faster e.t.c

I know married women who began to bleach because their husbands were following light skinned girls. The women just wanted to measure up.

I know young ladies who couldn't get banking jobs in some banks back in the early 2000's because their skin tone was not marketable.

I know ladies who started toning so they could be termed hot babe at work and be recognised/seen for promotion or better roles apart from back office.

I know men who bleach because light skin is just the fad.

It takes a whole lot of self confidence to stay true in the face of ''light-skin terrorism"

Everywhere you turn now, someone is telling you how one magical body oil will make you white n a few weeks. Operative word here is whiten as they try to avoid using the word bleaching.

Sat down with someone who is a "mixer" of cream a few years ago to ask her the best way to achieve this white goal.

She: you must use the cream diligently, morning and night. You have to ensure you rub every part of your body, if not you will have some parts lighter than the others. 

That was the day I knew in my heart that toning or whatever it is called is not for me. I don't even use body cream daily. I will now be condemned to using cream inside Lagos heat? I will be using extra care on knuckles and elbows, knees etc. Please, life is too stressful to add additional problems or skin cancer. I am too lazy to be using oil, cream, toner etc everyday. It's not that deep please.

In life, you will be given reasons to compromise, to go outside what you believe in. before you make any permanent decision ask yourself: In 5 years time, will it be worth it? Do i have the energy to be consistent with this decision? Do I have the strength to face the outcome?

Be like Fola.

Don't use cream. Greatness does not lie in skin colour. 

Because if you are cream lazy like me, your skin will burn. You will have patches and you will smell like a goat's pen.

Love and lotta light.