For me, being a black woman is the greatest gift I could have ever received. I often find myself saying “Thank God I’m black.”, in my head, as I admire and marvel at the ways in which we express our blackness.
To me black skin is the epitome of beauty. When I think of the “highest standard of beauty” all I see is black. Black faces, black features, black bodies, black skin. There is no other skin I would rather be in. My color gives me purpose and identity. I can walk through the world knowing who I am and that I come from a lineage of strong, beautiful people.
I am a part of a culture so rich that it reaches far and wide. Others try to steal it and claim as their own, much like what they did with the people and resources of Africa. Being black is like being apart of this exclusive club that everyone can’t have access to. Our community is so loving that we naturally call each other brothers and sisters, even if it’s the first day we’ve ever met. To me being black feels right at home. It gives me a sense of security.
To be a woman, alone that is powerful, but being being black too? That just makes it so much sweeter. When I look on my social media and see my timeline filled with creative, intellectual black women I am proud to be amongst the few who use their platform to promote black beauty. I am unapologetically black in every space that I take up and my social platforms are no different. I use my platform to uplift and promote black beauty daily. My platform is bigger than me. It is not just about me posting pretty pictures and hairstyles. It’s about me teaching and educating black women on how to care for their hair. It’s about teaching black women self love and confidence and that their beauty is the HIGHEST standard of beauty no matter what is shown in the media.
It is my duty to uplift black voices and use my platform to combat systemic racism. This issue cannot be ignored and I think it says a lot when influencers put the beauty and fashion aside to shed light on things that really matter. This was a top priority for me. I often think about black hair constantly being discriminated against in our schools, our work places and even hair salons and that is the exact reason why wearing our natural hair loud and proud is a direct act of rebellion and activism. We take back our power by not letting anyone tell us our hair isn’t enough. We are enough in every aspect and we must continue to unapologetically wear our natural hair.
xoxo
Arielle Wilson
@curlfriendari
