Huh, Wow
I just saw the most beautiful black woman walking down the street. It was strange, because I saw her, went back to what I was doing, and then I had to look at her until I couldn't see her from my window. I had a friend named Michelle when I was in second grade, she had beautiful, I mean absolutely beautiful dark skin, and she was always so ashamed of it. Her mother wasn't too fond of it either, as I remember it.
My friend once told me that it was because it was "slave skin." Which as far as negative terms go, I could maybe, almost see that, but it doesn't seem right at all. I guess it's because it's not right, at least to me.
Michelle was always extremely uncomfortable when we went swimming or anything, for a long time I thought maybe her family hurt her. One day she told me that when people could really see her skin that they didn't look at her anymore. That's just one of those things that still bothers me.
I know that the world thinks that I throw my heart out onto mine fields and let it bleed there.
Anyway, "slave skin."
When I was told about that term, I just had to think about it, it doesn't make sense. I don't think it will ever make sense to me. It's like when you watch Pocahontas, the Disney movie, and you see this beautiful native american girl, but that's not what she looked like. All of the characteristics she would have had, are gone. Anglo Saxon nose, eyes, mouth, hair... and dark skin.
I wonder, now, if maybe Michelle looked at herself from a "white" perspective. If everything she was worried about was bodied in the ideal woman based around European standards. The TRUE point of femininity is how pale the skin is. Real women don't work in the sun...
Things for me to think about more, I guess.
I hope Michelle knows, or will know one day, how pretty she was when we were in second grade.
My friend once told me that it was because it was "slave skin." Which as far as negative terms go, I could maybe, almost see that, but it doesn't seem right at all. I guess it's because it's not right, at least to me.
Michelle was always extremely uncomfortable when we went swimming or anything, for a long time I thought maybe her family hurt her. One day she told me that when people could really see her skin that they didn't look at her anymore. That's just one of those things that still bothers me.
I know that the world thinks that I throw my heart out onto mine fields and let it bleed there.
Anyway, "slave skin."
When I was told about that term, I just had to think about it, it doesn't make sense. I don't think it will ever make sense to me. It's like when you watch Pocahontas, the Disney movie, and you see this beautiful native american girl, but that's not what she looked like. All of the characteristics she would have had, are gone. Anglo Saxon nose, eyes, mouth, hair... and dark skin.
I wonder, now, if maybe Michelle looked at herself from a "white" perspective. If everything she was worried about was bodied in the ideal woman based around European standards. The TRUE point of femininity is how pale the skin is. Real women don't work in the sun...
Things for me to think about more, I guess.
I hope Michelle knows, or will know one day, how pretty she was when we were in second grade.