00:00Did you have any of these issues coming up?
00:05Honestly, it breaks my heart to hear all these stories,
00:08but I didn't.
00:09You know, I grew up in a household
00:10with five siblings at the time,
00:14and all lighter than me, way lighter than me.
00:16My mother's lighter than me.
00:18But she never made me feel inadequate
00:20or less than any of my siblings.
00:23Actually, my mother tells me the story all the time
00:26about when I was born, my father's dark skin.
00:28And when I came out, he was like,
00:30finally, someone who looks like me.
00:33And it was an exciting thing.
00:36And my sister, who's lighter than me,
00:37remembers when I came home,
00:39and she tells me every year on my birthday,
00:40she calls me up and she says,
00:42I was sitting on the couch and everybody was doting on you.
00:46You know, and so I never felt less than.
00:49So even growing up and, you know, getting into this business,
00:54I always felt like, well, yeah, of course you're going to like me.
00:57Oh, I need curly hair?
00:58Okay, let me take these braids out.
01:00I never felt like, wow, the light-skinned girl.
01:03She's going to get all the boys.
01:05Growing up, I was like, yeah, of course I'm cute.
01:08Of course I'm going to be the black cheerleader
01:10in my high school.
01:11Of course I'm going to be the president of my class
01:13three years in a row.
01:14Like, that's just what I thought it was.
01:16I was never made to feel less than.
01:19And it starts at home.
01:20It really does.
01:21Let's have a round of applause for your parents.
01:23Bye.
01:24Goodbye.
Comments