I'm sorry you spent some time not liking your skin color. I can't relate(because I am white), but it still saddens me to hear/see people go through that. This blog was really well said though!
as a white person, i am a little oblivious/ignorant to whitening products. :( earlier this year, my coworker was dating this jamaican guy who was bleaching his skin and she would get so upset about it. she liked him for who he was and was attracted to him by the beauty of his skin and then he wanted to change it. it makes me said that the world we live in makes people think they're too dark or "too black" or even "too white" (fake tanning.) we can't even just exist anymore.
Y'all the most gorgeous people I've ever seen (seriously). It's terrible that colorism is ingrained into so many societies and cultures and makes gorgeous people second-guess themselves.
I feel this on a SPIRITUAL level. I'm Bengali, so also Asian, and the amount of shit I would get from my own parents for coming back from a day of playing outside tanner, or the amount of celebrities that endorse whitening products (hello Bollywood) and shit is ridiculous. I actually only realized a couple years ago I'm technically considered lightskinned, when I've grown up thinking I was too dark and therefore "gross"
Colorism is a very much a real thing, I appreciate you for putting up this blog mama. My dad is pretty tanned himself and he used to tell me how he wished he was lighter...it's so horrible and toxic.
Those people selling those products are toxic to humanity and the people buying their products even while knowing the harmful side effects are naive and gullible (or just plain silly >.>) Either way, no one should ever try to lighten or darken their skin in any way. I mean its one thing to get a little tan or to maybe put some powder on your skin but it's another to want to try and change your skin color. It's really sad how many POCs want to be white or want to lighten their skin. :( And i always thought you looked pretty, Lina.
This blog was really well said though!
PS, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!