Her speech at Essesnce’s Black Women in Hollywood left me uplifted, teary-eyed and so very proud of this talented young lady and the message she sends to all of us.
She speaks from her heart and into the heart of every Black woman who has battled with living up to the light skinned European standard of beauty while being dark skinned, short-natural-haired and a visual antithesis to all the world holds dear as a look to aspire to.
Lupita represents everything beautiful and wonderful about humanity. Her beauty is not just on the outside but is something that comes from within and radiates from her spirit. She speaks of beginning to enjoy the seduction of inadequacy which was holding her back from loving and accepting her natural born skin and of her journey, inspired by Alek Wek, which brought her to a place where she began to realize the truth about herself.
“You can’t rely on how you look like to sustain you.”
I do not need to elaborate on her speech, there is nothing I can say that would enhance it or make it any more perfect than it already is. I encourage ALL of you reading this page, no matter what race, sex, age or ethnicity who has ever struggled with self-esteem and self-doubt, to watch this speech and let her words into your heart.
