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She’s Not Appeasing Others
If you woke up today as a brown woman, you wouldn’t either.
In my life, I’ve seen constant cases where brown women are pushed back for having their authenticity and voice.
Even when we go into the workforce, we are given snide remarks for how we are — or what we choose to wear. We are exotic in the eyes of our white counterparts. If you think this doesn’t exist, ask anyone who’s been through racism.
I could count multiple ways that I’m still hindered in my expression today. I would like full freedom, but I’m not sure if I have it. Any chance I have to express myself, I preserve it and keep it guarded — I can’t afford to lose it.
It’s one of the biggest reasons why I started writing Women of Caliber.
My self-expression when it comes to fashion, writing, clothes, my dating profile, and other things has always had something to be nitpicked about.
I wondered if we were ever enough. Then one day, I decided that I was enough.
I’m just tired of appeasing others and their unrealistic demands. I cannot dress up like a Barbie doll and math professor at the same time. I choose to show up in either way regardless of the demand.
