Have you ever felt that you are not beautiful just because you might be a little dark skinned? Do you ever feel that you are not good enough just because you are not very fair? Have you ever been told that you would look so much nicer if you were a little fairer? Have you been advised by your friends and family on how you could get a fairer skin tone?
Well, if any of the above statements ring true to you, it’s time to sit up and pay attention to what I have to say. And, I demand your full, undivided attention!
You need to believe me, when I say that you are dark and beautiful, you are loved and you matter. Dark skin becomes beautiful when we accept our skin tone and its unique beauty. I feel that anyone can look beautiful in anything as long as they are confident and happy about themselves, and the way they look. Beauty is there in everything that we see, it’s the perspective that we need to change. The most gorgeous coloured flowers of all sorts grow on dark brown soil, and they look stunning. If nature isn’t shy of experimenting with colours, then why should we?
I am a designer, but I have never thought about skin colour while making clothes. I might like one colour more than the other, but I wear all colours without any prejudice, and I’ve never felt that I can’t wear a particular colour just because I am not fair. It’s a matter of choice and preference. I ask all you lovely women to rise above this preconceived notion around dark skin, and embrace who you are. However, before you invest in expensive designer wear to look your best, please note: Style is about being true to your core, accepting who you are, celebrating all your assets, not taking no for an answer and loving yourself.
I know you must be thinking, this is easier said than done, but trust me, it’s indeed easy. Look at the beautiful women showcased in this column. Aren’t they stunning? Aren’t they gorgeous? Do you notice their confident eyes and the glow around them? Did it, for even a second, matter that they are all dark? Skin colour is something that is not to be taken into consideration at all.
Many women I work with often get a shock when they see the colours I pick for them to wear in my photo shoots. It’s the social conditioning that we go through since our childhood, that something is wrong with us because we are dark. We have been led to feel unworthy just because we are not fair. But there’s a sea of difference between what you might be led to believe about your looks, and what you actually look like.
Now, you may feel that there are indeed certain colours that might be too bright or overpowering to make you feel under-confident to wear them. But if styled correctly, a dark-skinned person can wear those very colours quite comfortably. The trick is to not have more than two or three statement elements in the overall look.
For instance, if a sari is bright and bold, perhaps the jewellery could be toned down, adding some colourful and contrasting flowers and a bold, big bindi always adds to the look.
As far as make-up and hair are concerned, I feel, adding a bit of colour on the lips certainly helps. More than anything else, it’s extremely important to own the look and feel confident in it. A word of advice: Don’t try to change the natural colour of your skin tone by applying loads of primer and foundation — that’s a big, NO!
Your skin needs to be embraced, it needs to be loved, it needs to be flaunted with confidence, and most importantly, it needs to be accepted by you. It does not matter what people say or what they think or feel about how you look. How you feel about yourself is reflected in how you look, which is what gets seen and observed by the people around you. What you are is entirely up to you — so get up and step into your aura!
Go on, embrace your dusky skin! And, challenge anyone who considers dark skin to be any less worthy than fair skin. Choose to be you, choose to accept who you are, choose to be happy. You are perfect just the way you are.
(The writer is a UK-based designer)