by Zainab Boladale

Foundation

Every time I visit the foundation aisle in a pharmacy or a beauty shop my shade of brown seems to be non-existent. I hope this isn’t a problem in countries that have a large black population e.g. the U.K and the United States.

In many cases it is just that these retailers only order a small amount of darker foundation and they choose not to restock them once they are gone. This annoys me greatly as I always find myself wishing that the foundation shades available do not end at Caramel. Do they really expect me to pull off caramel foundation when I clearly need something that is three shades darker? I really hope not.

Hair

When people ask me how long it takes me to get my braids done and I tell them it takes nine hours, it’s always the look of shock on their faces that amuses me. Their shock is always followed by “I could never sit that long”. In my head I am thinking “yeah, but if you counted how long it takes you to get your hair a certain way, you’ve probably collectively spent more than nine hours each week.

Also, never spontaneously decide to touch a black girl’s hair. I mean, it’s just rude. Whether it’s her natural hair, braids, dreadlocks or a weave do not randomly decide to feel it. We spend a lot of money and time trying to get our hair a certain way and we will more than likely internally curse you for touching it. Even if you’re just curious.

Nude clothes

The fact that when I find myself in any clothing department there is only ever one shade of Nude available says a lot about our society. I mean, whose nude are we talking about here? It’s clearly not mine. If I want to buy nude tights or any other nude clothing items I should be able to find them easily and they ideally should be as close to my colour as possible.

Token Black Friend

Just because I may be your only black friend does not mean I am the official encyclopedia for all things black. I do not speak or represent every black voice. Unless it’s a genuine logical question please keep your sometimes condescending questions and slightly racist comments and save them for this thing called the internet.