Celebrating black women

Celebrating black women

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that we are about celebrating black women of every shade. Be it dark, brown or fair, there’s beauty in every shade. In honor of black history month which was in February and women’s month in March, we decided to treat a few black women to a photoshoot session. In return, these black women shared their stories with us.

Etakah Edia

Blacky… Black……Girl go black sooooo…..Just a few of the names that people added to my birth certificate when we crossed paths. According to them my skin color was so dark that’s why they gave me such nicknames.  In the early years of my growth, it made me feel so bad. I felt sometimes as if I was ugly because I had such a skin tone. It made me think a few times of remedies to reduce the dark color…lol.But growing up, I have learnt to appreciate this melanin popping skin of mine. I will definitely choose this skin color over and over again. Funny thing is even people who were actually a lot darker will bleach their skin and then be the first to talk to you of how dark you are. African woman, wear your skin with pride and confidence, there is no better color than what you have. It’s your uniqueness, it’s your originality. It makes you phenomenal. 

Elvuchio Ankinimbom

My name is Elvuchio Ankinimbom and I am proudly the darkest in my family. Growing up black was never an easy thing for me because everyone will bee like “the dark girl” even family used to say that. I am not a fan of black dresses because I was always hear statements like you are dark and wear black dresses?? As if it was a taboo. I’m thankful to the few people who always said don’t you ever change your colour. It’s the best and money can’t buy. With these I grew to be proud of my colour and even now it’s my identity

Blandine

I have always grown with the mindset that, being right is about how much walls we can put up and how much our strength can carry us. As I journeyed, life has become a whole lesson on its own. My walls have been broken, I’ve fallen and failed only to realize that, it was never and will never really be about how much of my ability to fight. The grace and mercy of God is what keeps us and can keep us on every step of the way. Same goes for our skin, it’s in us, that we are black  is a special gift. No matter how much we might ever want to change to be who we are not, we just can’t. First cuz we don’t have what it takes to change it and second because even we succeed it’s only a physical change, we can’t change it from inside. You can’t turn off the light that shines from the inside. So why not just shine on in the true beautiful black that you are and was made to be. See eh, the joy of your person, doesn’t  come from anything else but from the Lord and the inside of you.

Tchiazah Ayaba

Black/Dark -skinned in a nutshell means having skin rich in melanin.But hey!? It goes beyond that.Black in itself is a color associated with power??, authority??, strength ??‍♀️ and elegance??‍?.All these qualities and many more is encoded in this beautiful ?? skin of ours. Yes, it is true and perhaps understandable how the society can influence our mindset on black – skinned. That is why the value of this color needs to be understood ? from within?‍♀️, so that no external force will mislead us.So I dare? you to drop the zero (shame) and pick up the hero (boldness). Stand for who you are?‍?‍?‍??‍?‍?‍?.OH! My beautiful ? melanin skin that sparkles ✨✨ when the sunlight shines on it .I bet u…it is beautiful to have ?.

Kelly Divine

Yes am black?. I remember when I was growing up anywhere I went to there was someone to complement my color. But the truth is, deep within I was not okay with me. I admired my mates who were fair.  I used to apply lotions such like rapid Clair, carro light to reduce the darkness.  But nothing was changing. Then I realized am me. That’s my beauty and uniqueness. Even if I change the color the Melanie will still be inside. I Came to accept the ME and loved the ME. At times people’s comments are not really enough, you will need to discover the YOU and learn to appreciate what you are. You don’t need to bleach to look beautiful. Look at me, this is beauty.  Black is the mother of all colors. You can count on us anytime we will be there to assist. This is me Kelly Divine. What is your own story? God bless miss mokom Sandra for this platform to help the black women out there to be confidential of who they are. 

Fongang Vianney

As a kid, I grew up in a community where all those around me were of dark skin.So I used to feel I am abnormal just because I have a light skin.For this reason, I was called names like Yellow sisi, albino, European and the list goes onn.At one point as a teenager, I used to think of things like if only I can get a body lotion that will darken my skin then I will be free from all these names but as time went onn, I rather noticed some dark skin people instead wanted to be of light skin so they go about creaming their bodies just because they think they will be more beautiful and attractive in the fair complexion.Then I began loving and cherishing my skin color.The lesson I learnt from this was that we are all Africans, we are all blacks and beautiful in our different shades.I must confess this platform Beiblackbeauty has thought me how to appreciate beauty in every shade the more.

Thanks for reading through. Do feel free to share your own story with us in the comment section below.

Speaking of black women, have you checked out these poems about black women? You should oo

My favorite emojis and their meanings

My favorite emojis and their meanings

Emojis are small pictures used on smart phones, tablets and other electronic devices to convey emotion or represent an object or symbol more succinctly than a text statement. Personally, I use emojis to add emotions into my text messages. Generally, unless I am very close to someone to get the tone in his/her message, I find it hard to guess the emotions in the message based on just mere words and without emojis. However, sometimes it’s just so hard to find the words to express how I really feel. So emojis always come true for me. In as much as we have emojis to help express how we feel, most at times we abuse them a lot. In this post I’ll be talking about my favorite emojis and their meanings. I was so amazed by how wrongly I used some of them.

Face with tears of joy

emoji face with tears of joy

” I am laughing so hard that I can hardly keep myself on my chair! something is so incredibly funny that you cry laughing. Not to be confused with Rolling on the floor, laughing. I actually use them interchangeably depending on the intensity of the fun.

Smiley face with an open mouth and cold sweat

smiley face with an open mouth and cold sweat emoji

Speaking of wrongly used emojis! This emoji should be used to show relief that a tight situation went well or was coped with positively. However, I use it when I don’t want to sound too serious and to ease the tension. For example, I might have typed something funny and a little bit annoying ( in a joking way of course) but I don’t actually want you to get annoyed so I use this emoji. Works magic for me.

Smiley face with an open mouth

smiley face with an open mouth

” Is in a positive mood, shows its teeth and laughs cheerfully. Expresses enthusiasm: from a cheerful greeting to boundless joy.” I think I get this right all the time. I often use at the end of a greeting. A simple good morning won’t feel so good unless it’s accompanied by this cute emoji. Without it, to me the greeting just feels so… ‘dry!’

Smiley face with smiling eyes

smiley face with smiling eyes

” Is grinning shyly and embarrassed. The red cheeks are an expression of joy. Represents happiness, contentment, peace of mind and gratitude.” This is so accurate! I use it mostly when I’m blushing . I use it interchangeably with the Smiling face emoji. Can’t really make out the difference between both.

Smiling face with heart eyes

smiley face with heart eyes

” Happily beaming face with heart-shaped eyes. Insanely in love with a person, place or an object.” So, in one word, it expresses… LOVE! If you are someone who loves love like me, tell me how can you resist this emoji? I use it most at times to comment on a lovely picture or to reply to a lovely message. Now this is easily confused with Smiling face with smiling eyes and three hearts. This means you are in love, sitting on cloud number nine ( if you know what I mean)

Face throwing a kiss

face throwing kiss emoji

Ok, now here’s one emoji I’ve used so wrongly. This emoji should be used to express affection or a romantic intent, as an expression of love. It is also a symbol of flirting and showing gratitude. I often misuse it for Kissing face, which is not so much a sign of an intimate kiss but rather a kiss to a friend or relative. ( So next time, before you throw kisses up and down, left and right, be sure that you are kissing the right person oh!)

Winking face

winking face emoji from iemoji.com

” Expression of humor, has been pulling a practical joke, is flirting or has an ulterior motive. The wink weakens the message: do not take it seriously, regard it as humorous.” If I were to translate it in lay man’s language, I’ll say it means something like “you’re my man/ personal person, don’t take it serious”

Relieved face

relieved face emoji from iemoji.com

Means, ” Everything went well! is happy that something unpleasant is over without having caused any harm. Relaxed, thankful and free of worries.” However, to me this emoji also gives a confident, self satisfying look but in a humble way. That kind of “yes I did it’, ‘I’m proud of myself’ look.

Face with hand over the mouth

face with hand over the mouth from iemoji.com

“Expresses shock, surprise, or a sudden perception.” It doesn’t end there, “it is also a typical gesture which shows that the other person is not telling the truth. Thinks he’s been lied to.” Wow, It’s true I use it to express shock and surprise but that second part though???

Person with folded arms

person with folded arms

” Two hands pressed together. Is currently introverted, saying a prayer or hoping for enlightenment. Is also used as a “high five” or to say thank you.” At least, I get this right almost all the time.

In total, there are 3304 emojis in the Unicode Standard as of March 2020. Obviously, they are so many and I can’t begin to list them here in as much as I want to. But I hope that reading this article will stimulate you to find out the meaning of an emoji before using it. Be careful that you aren’t sending the wrong message to the right person or the right message to the wrong person. Hope you enjoyed my favorite emojis and their meanings. You can share with me in the comments section what these emojis mean to you.

sources

emojimeanings.net

Quotes that will make you feel more beautiful

Quotes that will make you feel more beautiful

http://mosspinkus.gokuraku.co.jp/articles/Hn7RU

Salma Hayek

People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing you are the beholder. 

Maria Mitchell

There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness. 

Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. 

Tyra Banks

 

Girls of all kinds can be beautiful – from the thin, plus-sized, short, very tall, ebony to porcelain-skinned; the quirky, clumsy, shy, outgoing and all in between. It’s not easy though because many people still put beauty into a confining, narrow box…Think outside of the box…Pledge that you will look in the mirror and find the unique beauty in you.

Eckhart Tolle

You are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold. That is how important you are!

George Bernard Shaw

The only person who acts sensibly is my tailor. He takes my measure anew every time he sees me. Everyone else goes by their old measurements.

Geneen Roth

You are not a mistake. You are not a problem to be solved. But you won’t discover this until you are willing to stop banging your head against the wall of shaming and caging and fearing yourself. 

Francis Bacon

The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express. 

Scott Westerfeld

Nature didn’t need an operation to be beautiful. It just was. 

Unknown

I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful. 

Beyonce

 

I wrote “Bootylicious” because, at the time, I’d gained some weight and the pressure that people put you under, the pressure to be thin, is unbelievable. I was just 18 and you shouldn’t be thinking about that.You should be thinking about building up your character and having fun, and the song was just telling everyone to forget what people are saying, you’re bootylicious. That’s all. It’s a celebration of curves and a celebration of women’s bodies. 

Cheri K. Erdman

Healthy emotions come in all sizes. Healthy minds come in all sizes. And healthy bodies come in all sizes. 

Drew Barrymore

God made a very obvious choice when he made me voluptuous; why would I go against what he decided for me? My limbs work, so I’m not going to complain about the way my body is shaped. 

Garrison Keillor

Beauty isn’t worth thinking about; what’s important is your mind. You don’t want a fifty-dollar haircut on a fifty-cent head.

Steve Maraboli

It’s true, the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!

Rosalind Russell

Taking joy in living is a woman’s best cosmetic. 

Aimee Mullins

Confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can have. It’s much sexier than any body part.

 Alan Cohen

To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now. 

Gabourey Sidibe

One day I had to sit down with myself and decide that I loved myself no matter what my body looked like and what other people thought about my body. I got tired of hating myself. 

Steve Maraboli

There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty. 

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. 

Henri Matisse

There are flowers everywhere, for those who bother to look. 

Queen Latifah

I had to grow to love my body. I did not have a good self-image at first. Finally it occurred to me, I’m either going to love me or hate me. And I chose to love myself. Then everything kind of sprung from there. Things that I thought weren’t attractive became sexy. Confidence makes you sexy.

Golda Poretsky

Body acceptance means, as much as possible, approving of and loving your body, despite its “imperfections”, real or perceived. That means accepting that your body is fatter than some others, or thinner than some others, that your eyes are a little crooked, that you have a disability that makes walking difficult, that you have health concerns that you have to deal with — but that all of that doesn’t mean that you need to be ashamed of your body or try to change it. Body acceptance allows for the fact that there is a diversity of bodies in the world, and that there’s no wrong way to have one. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

You can find more quotes here

Get more black beauty quotes here

Valentine’s Day Quotes and Messages

Valentine’s Day Quotes and Messages

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, do you have a lot of feelings for your lover but lack the right words to express? Do you want to melt his/her heart with love but don’t just know how to? you want to let your loved ones know just how much they mean to you but you just can’t find the words. Worry no more, I compiled these valentine’s day quotes and messages for you so you can let your loved ones know just how much you care.

Happy Valentine’s Day Celebration

Cute Valentine’s day quotes

  • “There is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved.” – George Sand, Author
  • “Your flaws are perfect for the heart that’s meant to love you.” – Trent Shelton, Football Player
  •  flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.” – Max Muller, Philologist
  • Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” – Franklin P. Jones, Engineer
  • “Love is the greatest refreshment in life.” – Pablo Picasso, Artist
  • “Where there is love, there is life.” – Mahatma Ghandi, Civil Rights Leader
  • “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller, Author
  • Love is being stupid together.” – Paul Valery, Poet
  • “Love is a condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” – Robert Heinlein, Author
  • “And suddenly all the love songs were about you.” – Unknown

Valentine’s day messages for him

  • “The real lover is a man who can thrill you by kissing your forehead or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space”. – Marilyn Monroe, Actress
  • “Loved you yesterday, love you still, always have, always will.” – Elaine Davis, Actress
  • “Money is no match for the richness you bring to my life.” –  Anonymous
  • “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” – A.A. Milne, Author
  • “If I know what love is, it is because of you.” – Hermann Hesse, Poet
  • “A life without love is like a year without summer.” –  Anonymous
  • “Your words are my food, your breath is my wine. You are everything to me.” – Sarah Bernhardt, Actress
  • “I’m much more me when I’m with you.” –  Anonymous
  • “I saw that you were perfect, and so I loved you. Then I saw that you were not perfect and I loved you even more” –  Angelita Lim, Writer

Valentine’s day messages for her

  • “Chocolate can’t compete with the sweetness of loving you.” – Anonymous
  • “You are my heart, my life, my one and only thought.” – Conan Doyle, Arthur
  • “You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known—and even that is an understatement.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, Author“You are my heart, my life, my one and only thought.” – Conan Doyle, Arthur
  • “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever.” – Alfred Tennyson, Poet
  • “I swear I couldn’t love you more than I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.” – Leo Christopher, Actor
  • “In my eyes, you are the most beautiful and tender woman in the whole world. I love you.” – Anonymous
  • “Love is friendship that has caught on fire” – Ann Landers, Writer
  • “I love you, not only for what you are but for what I am when I am with you.” – Roy Croft, Author
  • “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” – Audrey Hepburn, Actress
  • “I know of only one duty, and that is to love” – Albert Camus, Philosopher

Romantic love messages from the scriptures

Song of Solomon 3:4

It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go. . .

Song of Solomon 4:7

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Song of Solomon 8:6-7

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

Most times we want to tell our loved ones the sweetest words ever and just when we need the words we don’t seem to be inspired. With these valentine’s day quotes and messages, you are sure to get them blushing. But remember too, these valentine’s day quotes and messages will mean nothing without you, your loved one and the love you share. So you have to make the words come alive. Lastly, do not let Valentine’s day pass without expressing your love. Happy Valentine’s day!

Women of Color Dominate Top 5 Beauty pageants

Women of Color Dominate Top 5 Beauty pageants

For the first time in history, all 5 top beauty pageants are dominated by women of color. I think that in a time where society has questioned the beauty of melanin skin. We, women of color needed this. 2019 will always be remembered as the year in which women of color dominated top 5 beauty pageants.

Below is part of the conversation between a journalist on CNN and the ladies.

Interviewer

When you think of this moment, what does it mean to yo? what does it mean to women of color, young girls and boys who are watching.

Nia Franklin ( Miss America)

Well, I think black women need this. It’s a symbol that shows that no matter where you are from, what country you’re from, whether you live in America, you can be part of something great. It was just back in 1940, that black women were allowed to compete in the Miss America organization. And it took 30 years in 1970 when Cheryl Browne became the first black to step foot on the Miss America stage. So it’s huge and I’m so glad that people are recognizing this moment. “

Interviewer

It’s huge but you’ve been getting into that moment and I know that you’ve dealt with some of this. There has been pushbacks like something as simple as your hair right? And you got a lot of pushback in that about what you should look like if you are going to be a part of this pageant. This sends a very clear message about what you should look like, you should look like yourself

Cheslie Kryst ( Miss USA )

Exactly, exactly and that you don’t have to fit a certain mould in order to be successful in pageantry and other arenas. And so it’s exciting for me to just be a part of this. Exciting for me to know that I can be an example for other people.  Because there are certain examples I was able to follow that inspired me. Like when Ursula Burns was the CEO of Xerox, when Barack Obama was made president of the United States. I think seeing this figures was essential to me and as a woman of color I’m happy I could share this moment with my sisters.

Interviewer

And from an international perspective what does it do for you ?

Zozibini Tunzi ( Miss Universe)

Like she said, when she saw those people do those things , she fell like she could do it too. I mean we can’t be what we cannot see. So I think that’s why this is so important because young girls can look at us and feel like they too are important…

One thing I’ve learnt from this is that nothing can limit me especially my skin tone or even just how I style my hair. Be it braids, low cut or Afro, I remain African and beautiful.

What about you? What’s one thing you’ve learnt from this ?

My experience at beauty salons

My experience at beauty salons

Generally, time spent at the beauty salon is considered as ladies time somehow. If you often visit the beauty salon either to do your hair, makeup, manicure, pedicure, facials etc you would know that every discussion mostly revolves around beauty, men, money and fashion.

Recently, I visited a salon to do my hair and one of the hairdressers (a beautiful dark lady) there looked at me and said, “chai, black is fine.” “I want na dis kind fineee black” This prompted the lady whose hair she was doing to narrate a story of a guy who was so dark that some people thought he was wearing black socks. So, one of them decided to touch his leg, to confirm whether their thoughts were right or wrong. Of course, they were wrong. You can imagine how the dark guy must have felt.

Well I’ve been in his shoes. So many times people have touched my hands or face to see if my dark complexion will fade away. Like seriously, what nerve!!!! I was really impressed with the hairdresser, even after hearing the story, she still went on to say how much she loved that kind of black. Then she said, “ natural fair skin too is nice because we all are Africans. The only problem is when you see a light skinned girl, you would never know if it’s actually natural or bleached. But when you see a dark girl from afar, you’re hundred percent sure that it’s natural.

I really feel encouraged seeing other dark girls love their skin as much as I do

Then there’s this thing about colors. What color will fit a dark girl? Some say bright colors, what do you think ?

Speaking of beauty salons, what are your plans for your hair this festive season? If like me, you want something natural or braids, be sure to check out my post on braiding styles

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