Aisa Osayuki Estelle

I recently did a photoshoot for a friend's project ("Colors" by Noor Euceph). She asked female models of various different skin colors to write about their ethnicity and what their skin color means to them. I loved participating in this project because too often, I see signs in the media (both explicit and implicit) that my shade of beauty isn't up to par. As a child, I struggled with the self-hatred caused by my exposure to such things but now, I couldn't possibly love my skin more. I truly hope that every woman who looks like me will realize how gorgeous she is.

Anyway this is how I answered her questions:

What is your ethnic background/what ethnicity do you identity with?
I am Nigerian. I was born there and I was raised very culturally Nigerian. Because of my background, I am grounded in my roots.

What does your skin color mean to you?
When I think of my skin color, I think about my journey from self-hatred to self-love. My skin color is a lesson in pride and accepting myself in a society with standard of beauty that doesn’t. My skin color encompasses the struggle and the triumph of an immigrant, the conflict between two languages and cultures, the pressure to be academically and socially outstanding, and all the negative and positive feelings of being considered “exotic". Unfortunately, it took me a while to realize how incredibly beautiful my skin really is, but better late than never. I hope that everyone takes pride in their skin color, especially those raised in societies that don’t appreciate its beauty. I know I do. I mean, how could I hate my skin color when it is a testament to how much the sun is in love with me?