Summary

"Pretty for A..." - In the past, Mikki dated the kind of boys who would say things like: "You're pretty for a Black girl" (99). Her lighter skin was deemed a boon by family members. She spent years using relaxers and damaging heat on her hair before shaving her head in 2005 and learning to embrace and care for her natural hair which she had been socialized to dislike. Being considered pretty gives a person advantages in society and racism is rampant in beauty aesthetics. After Mikki reported sexual harassment at work, she was criticized for her clothing choices, despite the fact that she was wearing a long-sleeved dress with leggings and boots, an outfit that covered her from neck to toes. She then writes about colorism which has existed in various cultures...