Beauty is the birthright of every Black girl. It’s the way our baby hairs curve on our faces and the way our filled brows furrow when we’re figuring ourselves out. It’s not always about products and methodology though. It’s in the details so often repeated that they’ve become a part of our identity. A hearty laugh, a light spirit. These are just a couple of the things our beauty has come to signify.
When I was a little girl, I would wake up around 6 a.m. everyday for school. In the early morning darkness, I would plop down on the floor, while my mom sat on an aging, cream colored sofa and parted my hair. Some days, I would get four twists, and other days, she would give me two and pin them to the back, like a crown. My mother brushed my edges with care and slowly wound the knockers around the base of my ponytail. She would make sure I was well moisturized with oil, especially during the winter. I wasn’t wearing a drop of makeup, and I didn’t look like most of the girls at my school, but I felt beautiful.
“We want you to know that you’re flawless in all of your forms, period.”
These days, I twist my own hair, when it’s not in a voluminous afro. I’m always up to date on the latest makeup trends and brands, and I have a longstanding relationship with ornamentation. But I know that those are extensions of who I am. My relationship with myself determines my true beauty.
Flawless will consistently fill you in on all things beauty. You’ll get the scoop on makeup and hair trends across the country, and you’ll also read touching stories of emotional growth and self acceptance. We want you to know that you’re flawless in all of your forms, period.
Photo credit: Getty Images