Just because you have dark skin, doesn’t mean that you’re not beautiful. Your negative thinking was birthed from repeated rumors and stereotypes that said, “boys usually go for light-skinned black girls”. Well, the part I wish I could’ve realized is that the word, “usually” doesn’t mean always. I used to think like this when I was younger in middle school. I used to see that most of the caramel colored girls get all the cute guys, it was rare for me to see a darker colored girl with a boyfriend. I was envious of seeing other girls with lighter complexions. Out of my family me and my older brother are darker complexion. Both my older and younger sister are both light skinned. I didn’t have a problem with them because I knew and loved them. Now for people I saw at school, I got jealous. Well now that I’m a bit older and is now in high school, I have a completely different mindset. In high school I see a lot of blended couples and smile. I smile because people are mingling around with other races. I smile because I see that there are darker skinned girls who have boyfriends of any color too. I’m not jealous anymore of the lighter skinned mocha girls anymore because beauty comes in ALL colors, whether you’re ivory, tan, red, brown, or ebony colored. No one race is perfect, ALL are. It also comes with the confidence that you exude too. When you show someone how confident you are in your looks, it’s makes you feel so much better about yourself and that you are indeed a good-looking person. I just wish that I could’ve thought like this four years ago. I wish I could’ve stopped worrying about other girls and their looks, and just focus on me. I look at some girls and I say: her dark brown color is like the rich dark color of soil that flourishes the vibrant color of flowers and plants that grow, her light brown is like the smooth caramel that is used on many desserts today, her pale brown color is like the mocha that is a famous coffee flavor loved by many, her tan color is a sun kissed brown that makes others stare in awe, and lastly her white color is of the smooth, tiny, and valuable pearls that are produced from clams. No matter what shade you come in, you’re perfect, and this goes for guys too. I believe that God made us in his own image and to him we are perfect, so the next time that you may question your looks just go to your mirror and say out loud to yourself that you are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”