Being the darker skinned member of a family can be a dehumanising experience for many, as other family members tend to compare your to your fairer skinned loved ones.
Having carried this insecurity all her life, a Malaysian woman is now expressing her gratitude to her husband for showing her that she can loved just the way she is.
Taking to the SecretsMY Twitter page, the woman anonymously shared how her husband had helped her change her perspective of herself through his unconditional love, after spending all her life being compared to her fairer skinned sister.
She wrote, “I had self-esteem issues with regards to my looks ever since I was a kid. I’m the eldest, but my sister is fairer, skin tone wise. All my life, I was given the ‘second-hand’ treatment compared to my sister because of my looks.”
“People would always ask and say, ‘you’re so dark‘, ‘if you were fairer, you’d be so pretty‘, ‘don’t you want to try whitening products‘. Mind you, I’m not that dark to begin with. I have olive skin, while my sister is very fair.”
She also recalled how her mother would tell her to marry someone with a lighter skin tone, so that her children would be fair skinned. All of the comment led her to live her life thinking she isn’t beautiful.
“She never knew that her remarks ate me up inside.”
And then she met her husband.
After her marriage to her husband, she realised that his conditional love for her showed her that she is beautiful, no matter her skin tone!
And for that, she is thankful.
“It was when I met my now husband that I truly appreciate my own skin. He never stops complimenting the way I look, making me feel like I’m the most beautiful person in his eyes, though it was hard for me to accept it initially. But, I slowly grew appreciative towards them and finally feel confident. Thank you, darling.”
“And the funny thing is, my husband’s looks are not what my mum had wanted in the end. He is tall, dark and definitely handsome (in my eyes),” she added.
We genuinely hope that everyone out there finds a partner that will love them unconditionally, just like the woman’s husband.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: M’sians Urge Woman to Stand Up for Her Chinese-Muslim Husband as Her Family is Racist Towards Him