By Isabelle Rogers
Entertainment Editor
When you google image the words “beautiful woman” or “handsome man,” you will not see people of color (POC) until the fourth, fifth, or even sixth line of images.
There is a constant subliminal message in the media to those with dark skin. Almost every commercial, billboard and picture that symbolizes beauty has light or slightly tanned skin, and each of those images gives the impression that the smooth hair type, slim body shape and light skin color depicted is the definition of beautiful.
The fact that people are told by the media that their hair, curvy bodies, or dark skin isn’t considered beautiful is disgusting, and yesterday, the black community of Tumblr set out to change that belief.
The black community of Tumblr designated yesterday, March 6, as “Blackout day.” Yesterday was the day to celebrate POC beauty, and millions of people took part in this celebration by posting selfies under the tag #blackout and #melanin or, if you’re not a POC like me, reblogging and liking photos. Everyone’s dashboard’s were filled with the beautiful faces of POC.
POC of all shapes, sizes, sexualities, genders, nationalities, ages and disabilities shared their self love with one another and created a positive and loving side of Tumblr that I never knew existed.
People were told that they weren’t dark enough to participate in #blackout and many POC’s selfies didn’t reach near enough notes, so I ask you to please continue your self love every day of the year. I was proud of how much positivity there was on Tumblr and you should parade your beauty around as much as you’re comfortable with.
Along with the wonderful positivity shared, there was plenty of negativity; in fact, the negativity even had its own tag, #Whiteout.
People tweeted and made text posts like, “Black people have a whole Black History Month; let us have our day #whiteoutday.”
If only they realized every day is #whiteoutday, and every month is white history month. Have they even cracked open their history books, turned or a TV, or flipped through a magazine?
And in the wise words of Tumblr user agnaeoh, “Asking why white people can’t participate in #blackout is like asking why dads don’t get gifts on mother’s day. It’s not ‘cause you [are] not important. It’s ‘cause it’s not for you.”
