Dove Lotion Discontinued

I wish we didn’t live in a world where people value physical appearance more than any other attributes. 

I am happy that the world is standing up to the light-skinned phenomena. Black people are standing up to people who choose to be racist, and all the ads that are demeaning to other races are being pulled off, (I want to specially thank Lupita Nyongo), but what hurt me is the discontinuation of Dove Lotion in Botswana because of the advert of a black woman transforming into a white woman. Dove was the only lotion that “knew” my skin. See, the thing is that I grew up with loads of pimples, and Dove lotion was the only lotion that made it better and never worse. I wish I had discovered that when I was kid, before the pimples became uncontrollable.

I love my black people but I am sadden by their exaggerated outrage at Dove. Their outrage caused my pimples to continue, but I was hurt. I will miss you Dove. I hope one day we’ll forgive you and you’ll come back to our shelves again. And maybe the pimples will disappear forever.  

These pimples did not help my self-esteem growing up, neither did the scars that have been a part of me for more than half my life.

And neither did the world which judges based on appearance help me. Maybe if I was light-skinned it would be better, I would think. Maybe if I had bigger eyes, a bigger butt, a smaller waist or had been a coloured woman or a white woman. I hope I will not be accused of hating my blackness, but I know you all know what I am talking about.

There were a million thoughts that came into my mind, but all of them didn’t make me love myself any better. I am sure the lesser attractive people know what I am talking about, and the attractive people have a faint idea of what I am talking about. They must imagine what it must feel like to walk around without the assurity of social acceptance before even talking because of their looks which immediately delight the eyes of both strangers and everyone else who knows them.

I love all people, I wish I could love myself the same way I love everyone else.
But I believe with God everything is possible.