Personal Narrative: My Personal Identity

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Growing up, I always knew I was different. I was a brown-skinned child who hated her identity. With the exception of my father, everyone in my family is light-skinned. So, growing up alongside my older brother and cousins was extremely difficult. They constantly mocked my darker skin, and made me feel unworthy of love. My mother would even bathe me with milk in hopes of lightening my complexion. This absolutely diminished my self-esteem. I believed that because of my brownness, I was ugly, worthless, and less than others. It has taken me a lot of time and work to unlearn colorist beliefs. I started to recognize my self-worth at 17 years old. Now, my brownness is what makes me feel beautiful and empowered. Colourism is very rampant in the South

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