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Colorism is a very taboo topic in certain — specifically the African American community.

Although skin tones and complexions don’t determine anything about a person in the grand scheme of things, society has forced many women to feel that they either have to tan or bleach their skin to be beautiful. That was the case for Takara Allen, a 22-year-old makeup artist based in Adelaide, Australia.

Allen was talking to a guy who she’d gone on a Tinder date with when he left the most insensitive, ignorant comment under one of her Instagram photos that she says left her “devastated.” He wrote, “Don’t think I’m a creep and I don’t wanna be offensive or anything but I was just looking [at] your insta photos and just curious, but have you ever thought about bleaching your skin?? You’d look so much prettier if you were whiter!”

But the young beauty didn’t let her shock get in the way of her clap back. She fired back, “Have you ever considered drinking bleach because the world would be so much prettier if you did.” In an interview with the Daily Mail, Allen revealed that the bleaching statement was so hurtful that she cried a lot out of frustration. She stated, “I would never bleach my skin, but I understand why others would feel the need to. There’s so much pressure for people of color like myself to conform to European beauty ideals and standards.”

The makeup artist also took to Facebook to share her feelings about colorism, saying, “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?’ bullshit when I simply say ‘I’m black’. As if black can’t be beautiful on it’s [sic] 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.”

Allen says that she accepts and acknowledges that she’s “benefiting to an extent from white privilege because I am light-skinned.” Luckily for Takara Allen, she has the knowledge and confidence not to allow someone else’s idea of beauty to stop her glow.

Take note, ladies.

Source: Daily Mail

Here’s How This Biracial Woman Responded To Being Told That She Should Bleach Her Skin  was originally published on globalgrind.com