5 things to avoid telling a dark-skinned woman

 “You’re pretty for a dark skinned woman.”

Uttering that comment is like offering someone sugarcane and then taking it back from them mid chew. There’s nothing sweet about that. The problem with adding, “for a dark skinned woman” to a compliment is you emphasize her otherness. What the above compliment really sounds like is this: “Compared to other dark skinned women you’re cute, but you’ve got nothing on the gorgeous (light skinned) girls.” HINT: Be succinct. Simply state, “you’re beautiful”.

 “Can we move to the shade? I don’t want to get dark.”

Oh? We can certainly find you some shade as soon as you stop throwing it. The sun isn’t the only thing that burns, you know, your words can do that too.What’s so bad about being dark skinned anyway? (Take it from me, there’s no real way of answering that question without sounding somewhat offensive so don’t respond). Just find the shade you seek and pipe down.

 “Why are you so dark?”

If such an ignorant comment is thrown at you, courteous black beauty, respond with, “why are you asking?” However, if it’s not the Sabbath, and you’re feeling bold, feel free to retort: “Why am I so dark? The question is, why are you such an ass?” If talking isn’t your thing, I humbly suggest you throw a cool side eye complete with a slightly arched eyebrow.

“You’re the only dark skinned woman I would consider dating.”

Yes, there are individuals out there who say such things. Ladies, if this foolishness is directed at you, gather your belongings and just take a long walk away from that joker. As for the people who say such things, may all the soups you make from today onwards lack taste even when you add spices and salt.

 “How do you stay so dark and comfortable?”

Juju, fool. Not a common question but one that was asked of an acquaintance not too long ago. If you are guilty of saying something similar to this, you need to stop talking.

In short, ditch the disses and, if you absolutely must, be brief when speaking to a dark skinned woman about her skin tone. In case you missed, take a look at this thought-provoking TIA Classic: Who taught you to hate your [dark] skin?