When Her Date Told Her She Should Bleach Her Skin, This Woman Had The Perfect Response
There will always be people who find a way to criticize literally anything about someone else's appearance. Their hair, their makeup, their body shape... the list goes on and on.
Main and collage image via Instagram / @takarawinel
The pressure to conform to “ideal” beauty standards is a problem that women continue to deal with on a daily basis. The fact that every women is unique and different is what makes the world beautiful. Why would we all want to look the same?
When this woman received an offensive comment about her skin color, she fired back.
Takara Allen is a 22-year-old makeup artist from Australia.
Like many 20-somethings, Allen has a Tinder account. Tinder can be a great social tool to meet new people, but it can also be a reminder that there are a lot of very rude people in the world.
Allen is mixed race.
She went on a date with one of her Tinder suitors and afterwards, she received a message from him that left her "devastated," she told Daily Mail.
He asked if she had considered bleaching her skin because she would look prettier.
Allen could not believe what she was reading. She blocked him on everything, but not before giving him a piece of her mind.
She told him to drink bleach instead.
Allen posted the exchange on Facebook, along with a stern message about conforming to beauty standards:
"Waking up to this ****ery on a Friday morning..."
"What goes on in people's heads that makes them think this is okay to say to someone?
"As if people of colour don't already struggle enough with the pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty ideals and standards, people like this add even more.
"'Don't wanna be offensive.'
"How the **** is this not offensive in your head?! Like literally how can you come to the conclusion that this is even true? I've grown up hearing 'You'd be prettier if you were lighter' and 'You're pretty for a black girl,' as if black women are just generally unattractive, and so it's a surprise when one of us is. Not to mention the fact that as a mixed race woman people are constantly hitting me with the 'but you're so pretty, what are you mixed with?' bull**** when I simply say 'I'm black.'
"As if black can't be beautiful on [its] own...
"... and that I should be grateful to be mixed with something because whatever I'm mixed with makes the black 'okay' all of a sudden.
"People are always complaining that I post too many things talking down about white people (a.k.a. Pointing out systematic racism and ignorance that they seem to take personally for some reason) but none of you realise that this is the **** that myself and other black women have to deal with on a daily ****ing basis.
"It's easy to say 'don't let it get to you' and what not but this isn't a one time thing.
"I've been hearing this crap ever since I moved to Australia and I can guarantee you that women who are even darker than I am hear it even more. If you have to say 'not trying to be offensive/racist/mean' before you say something, DON'T SAY IT."
The fact that anyone would send a message like the one Allen received is disturbing. Good thing Allen spoke out!
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