Is My Black Beautiful?

Tiffany K. Daniels of ZionsDestiny.com

 

 

Growing up, I always secretly wanted to be darker. My mom always told me how beautiful she thought Black women of a darker complexion were, so I naturally wanted to look like them. Even though my mother always told me I was gorgeous and that she even wished she was my color sometimes, I still wanted to just be at least “Naomi Campbell” dark.

From my grandmother telling me not to stay out in the sun too long or I’d get “black,” to magazines and music videos casting light-skinned, long-haired beauties as the focal points of their imagery, I began to be socially brainwashed to believe that my mocha complexion would never be as attractive as my caramel colored friends.

None of these ideas are new, however. The stigma associated with Black women and their skin complexion goes back to slavery when lighter-toned slaves were allowed to work inside the home and darker-toned slaves were forced to work in the fields. Mulatto slaves were also often sought after by slave masters for sexual favors. After slavery was abolished, it was acceptable for white elitist to take a Black woman in as a permanent mistress. These mistresses were sometimes very well taken care of financially (by standards of that time) and often given a home and monthly living expenses by their “patrons,” making them the envy of many dark-skinned Black women and giving them a sense of superiority. This might all sound archaic, but women today are still struggling with the issue of wanting to look lighter. Even while I was doing research for this article, I found an article titled “How Black Women Can Lighten Their Skin”!

The My Black Is Beautiful Campaign was started by Proctor & Gamble Multicultural Brand Manager, Kisha Mitchell Williams, and Assistant Multicultural Brand Manager, Pamela Rhett, a couple of years ago in hopes of celebrating African American women of all complexions and shapes. The company has actively taken a stand against what has become known as “colorism” by showcasing the many different beautiful shades African American women embody.

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Beauty Break with Kari Dent

Recently, I was able to spend a full day with part time radio personality for WECC 89.3 FM “The Lighthouse” and inductive Bible study teacher Kari King Dent. A native of Orangeburg, SC, Dent currently resides in St. Marys, GA with her husband, Pastor Ian Dent of Camden Crossroads Community Church, and her daughter Amelia. She is also the creator of Precept Camden (http://PreceptCamden.com), an online personal Bible study resource center with an online class feature that has students worldwide!

In the aftermath of heavily participating in her son Seth’s wedding, Dent found time to travel to Mobile, Ala. and teach an eye-opening Contextual Principles in Inductive Study course at In Worship’s latest training event.

I was fortunate enough to steal a few moments with the Bible study “guru,” who also holds a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Winthrop College (now Winthrop University), and pick her brain and have a little girl talk!

Q: What is your definition of beauty?

I love clothes, shoes, accessories, and makeup! And I believe that all of us should take what God gave us and make the most of it. However, I believe that you can have the outside looking beautiful, but if you don’t have a beautiful spirit inside, you are just an empty shell. Some of the most beautiful women I know don’t spend an excessive amount of time on their appearance, but they are so kind and loving and filled with the Spirit of God that they just exude this aura of beauty. That’s how I want to be. I want to do my best to look attractive, but people might be surprised at how little effort I actually put into it. (Or maybe they wouldn’t! *chuckles* ).



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~Ashley Danielle

"Lupus & Healthy, Summer Skin"

In honor of Lupus Awareness Month, I’ve decided to provide our beautiful readers who are living with Lupus with a few tips on how to enjoy the summer sun while being mindful of their delicate skin. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body. Autoimmune basically means an individual’s immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign invaders of their body and its healthy tissues; therefore, it creates auto-antibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. A symptom of Lupus is extreme, skin sensitivity to light. This can result in the appearance of rashes or skin lesions. These markings can be subtle or quite noticeable but should always be taken care of properly. With summer right around the corner, the lure of teeny bikinis and relaxing afternoons at the park may affect your better judgment.

- Try your best to reduce your skin’s exposure to direct sunlight. I know this may
sound like a hard task for summer, but the long term effects could be dangerous to
your skin and overall health. Also, be aware of some forms of artificial light.
Fluorescent and halogen bulbs produce UV light that can be very harsh on the skin
of people with any form of Lupus.


- WEAR SUNSCREEN! As someone living with Lupus, you should already know that too
much exposure to the sun is a big no-no. Wearing sunscreen year-round should
already be part of your daily skin care routine, but consider increasing the SPF
level you usually use in the upcoming summer months. One easy way to do this is by
using a moisturizer with a higher than usual SPF. Some say anything over SPF 15 is
good, but I’ve heard great things about Health Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 50 –
Sensitive, which protects against UVA and UVB rays (as all of your moisturizers
should). Plus, it only cost about $14 at your local drug store.

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