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A Beauty Discovered in Every Woman
By Nikita Meril
This painting speaks of the beauty and greatness of every woman. Some of us live through that beauty everyday, while others may still be debating whether we have anything glorious to offer the world. I hope that anyone who sees these paintings will draw from the strength and beauty of the women presented.
I hope that black women will model the posture of the women in Femmes d'Afrique , and someday, hopefully today we will be able to rest in our beauty and not wrestle with it, realizing that we are most beautiful when we are not trying to prove our beauty to others. It is something that we just are. You are beautiful, African woman. You possess a treasure that no one else has and the world is blessed with you in it - blessed because of you.
Many of our blessings are like undiscovered waterfalls. Wondrous treasures in themselves, but if no one knows of them they have no effect. Everyone is still left thirsting for their beauty, and likewise, our friends, families and the infinite number of those we can touch are waiting for us to set ourselves free.
Too many of us have established our own torture chambers, and sit there daily rehearsing all the ways in which we are not good enough. We are prisoners of our minds. I'm so timid that walking across a room filled with people is excruciating and takes minutes of battling within myself before I have the courage to do it. But I am discovering amazing ways to free myself while I draw my strength from a stable source.
I hope that all of us will choose daily to be free, to stop comparing ourselves with others, going bankrupt for fashion and life improvements. I want us to stop saying that we're proud of being black but still fighting our blackness. I wish I could unbleach some of you, not only the skin tone but the idea that lighter is better. I am proud of being black and proud of all my black brothers and sisters—we have flared nostrils, gorgeous full lips and yes- nappy hair!
Black women are working hard, and striving to do better, we are going to school or working to put others there. We are loving, fighting women, toiling under the sun; growing in its warmth as our brows get darker. We are the result of strength in adversity, having been affected by some war, slavery or other assault, and we are still here.
I hope that we truly change. Let's be like nappy hair, have you ever realized that no matter how much we cut or straighten it, it always comes back? Grow in strength and no matter what happens spring back- Gloriously!
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