Addressing my 1st ever long-form, I'm peeling out my insecurities in a piece of paper and letting the readers know how much time I've wasted feeding those things and suppressing my inner abilities due to bullying. Hey, so basically this ain't anything new you'll be going through, because I'm a regular girl but then that's what makes us all a little bit more relatable to each other. So let me cut the chase here, I'm rewinding a bit let's say 10-12 years down the memory lane, to share how bullying had left a scar in my head which has faded by now.
There was a time when self-love was not a hallmark everybody would carry as of now. Kids used to bully, and it was a natural and much-accepted thing those days. I was a skinny kid with dusky skin and crooked teeth; which was obviously a much easy to be spotted unappealing factor during our times.
I was being called 'Nelson Mandela' because of my color, and 'Kalia' (black), 'kengmora'(malnourished) was awarded free with it. See as I mentioned it, bullying was common during our teenage reign, but the problem intensified when this bullying was broadening to my family too.
You see, it doesn't matter when you're a kid, but it starts to matter when you're being reverted with the same remarks as you grow up, and leaves you a faulty imprint that you're flawed.
I grew up shy, restless, irresponsible and what not. I wasn't a proper kid and was definitely held to the subject of comparison with my sibling. See, now that I think about it, it seems bullshit and the most insignificant concern I could put me in. But then, it was a different story. Because there was no one around to tell you to love your imperfections the way they were or they are.
I've just penned down my experience, there are hundreds and thousands more.
I've a friend of mine, who shared a similar story, her self esteem was so badly crushed that it took her a different state to regain that. There are verbal remarks on skin color 'don't wear this color, too bright for you, you'll look darker', 'don't drink tea', 'don't apply dark lipsticks', 'she's so dark, let me stand near her I'll look bright'; and so much more.
The color of a baby girl is more important than her health, I've witnessed these remarks.
You see this obsession has gone so far that, people are killing themselves, you'll see the catchy headlines witnessing the deaths due to bullying every single day. Nearly 1 in 5 students (21%) report being bullied during the school year, impacting over 5 million youth annually (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2018)
Youth who are bullied are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school (CDC, 2018)
It's a worldwide problem. Sticking to the facts,
research has found extensive evidence of discrimination based on skin color in criminal justice, business, the economy, housing, health care, media, and politics in the United States and Europe. Lighter skin tones are considered preferable in many countries in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Endorsement ads still prevails to favor lighter skin tones over darker, unseeing their capabilities.
These things have impacted so much, that it's nearly unstoppable. So what do we do?
Embrace your naked self, look in the mirror, see your imperfections and make them fit perfectly to you, see them as they complete you; because they do. I've survived bullying and you know what, you don't really care about such things when you see and interact with your inner self. You're so beautiful, so bold and so powerful.
You're capable of a hundred other things than making yourself fit into sometimes criteria of being appealing. Break the chain of insecurities, talk to yourself, and cut off toxic people. That's all for now, I'm shining and I'll go on shining.
There was a time when self-love was not a hallmark everybody would carry as of now. Kids used to bully, and it was a natural and much-accepted thing those days. I was a skinny kid with dusky skin and crooked teeth; which was obviously a much easy to be spotted unappealing factor during our times.
I was being called 'Nelson Mandela' because of my color, and 'Kalia' (black), 'kengmora'(malnourished) was awarded free with it. See as I mentioned it, bullying was common during our teenage reign, but the problem intensified when this bullying was broadening to my family too.
You see, it doesn't matter when you're a kid, but it starts to matter when you're being reverted with the same remarks as you grow up, and leaves you a faulty imprint that you're flawed.
I grew up shy, restless, irresponsible and what not. I wasn't a proper kid and was definitely held to the subject of comparison with my sibling. See, now that I think about it, it seems bullshit and the most insignificant concern I could put me in. But then, it was a different story. Because there was no one around to tell you to love your imperfections the way they were or they are.
I've just penned down my experience, there are hundreds and thousands more.
I've a friend of mine, who shared a similar story, her self esteem was so badly crushed that it took her a different state to regain that. There are verbal remarks on skin color 'don't wear this color, too bright for you, you'll look darker', 'don't drink tea', 'don't apply dark lipsticks', 'she's so dark, let me stand near her I'll look bright'; and so much more.
The color of a baby girl is more important than her health, I've witnessed these remarks.
You see this obsession has gone so far that, people are killing themselves, you'll see the catchy headlines witnessing the deaths due to bullying every single day. Nearly 1 in 5 students (21%) report being bullied during the school year, impacting over 5 million youth annually (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2018)
Youth who are bullied are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school (CDC, 2018)
It's a worldwide problem. Sticking to the facts,
research has found extensive evidence of discrimination based on skin color in criminal justice, business, the economy, housing, health care, media, and politics in the United States and Europe. Lighter skin tones are considered preferable in many countries in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Endorsement ads still prevails to favor lighter skin tones over darker, unseeing their capabilities.
These things have impacted so much, that it's nearly unstoppable. So what do we do?
Embrace your naked self, look in the mirror, see your imperfections and make them fit perfectly to you, see them as they complete you; because they do. I've survived bullying and you know what, you don't really care about such things when you see and interact with your inner self. You're so beautiful, so bold and so powerful.
You're capable of a hundred other things than making yourself fit into sometimes criteria of being appealing. Break the chain of insecurities, talk to yourself, and cut off toxic people. That's all for now, I'm shining and I'll go on shining.
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