Skin Tones

I love to talk about beauty and and fashion as it makes me literally giddy with excitement, but I wanted to share what’s been in my heart for a very long time about other things we as women experience, especially women from different ethnic cultures. We’ve named our blog “Skin Tones” as the tones in our community are oftentimes slightly different for us women with dark, yellow, tan, mixed or other skin tones. Our lens gives us a different perspective on our experiences. Beauty isn’t really about what’s on the outside...it’s what’s on the inside that matters. We all intellectually accept this saying, but we get caught up on how we look on the outside because we want to fit in.

The focus on women’s issues seem to dominate at least once in every generation. While it appears to be improving, it’s deeply troubling and sad that it takes a mountain of women to stand up to be heard and believed. We can’t escape the news of men doing unspeakable things to women from rape to being abused by a supposed loved one. It’s hard enough to come forward in the U.S. community when something terrible happens like that to you, but it’s even more difficult for women from different cultures to step forward. We need to change the shaming that many women face. For those of you experiencing it now, I hope you will have the courage, if not for yourself, but for other women who may be in a similar situation, to step forward and claim the “NO,” and report the person.

Looking back, I can’t tell you how many times I have endured inappropriate comments about Asians or Orientals. Some of it was in the form of a joke, an undercurrent inference that I was different-odd, and a few were just outright hateful comments. Yet, I didn’t always speak up to tell them it hurt my feelings or that what they had said was inappropriate. I spoke up more as I grew older and now, I pick my battles as to when I want to engage. Not every ignorant comment or look deserves my attention. It took me into my twenties to be proud of my Korean heritage; I hope it doesn't take you that long. Embrace your culture, it's what makes you unique and interesting and yes, exotic.