Looks count… you can be slated for being darker amongst your own peer group. And a dark (Hindu) girl can be teased by Muslim boys
I'm used to the normal stuff like other girls get, "Oh you're short and yeah you're fat," or whatever.
That's what they say to me and this other girl who's in nearly all of my lessons ….
But also at school, the people that I'm with are always dissin' me and saying "Look at her sideburns!" and "Yeah she's really dark!"
It's harder when someone comments, "You're dark" or if they talk about my hair, 'cos I have a lot of hair and stuff.
And then there's this little short Muslim guy who's a good friend; he's a really dark guy, and everyone's like,
"Oh have you seen him lately?"
"No shut up!"
"You know you two you'd just make a great couple 'cos if you were in the dark you wouldn't be able to see either of you!"
These comments don't come from girls, it's mostly boys. Hindu boys, Muslim boys…
The comments have increased since I changed schools - I hit year 10, I got to know Muslim guys, and I got to know the Hindus as well, 'cos there weren't many Muslim boys at High school, but there are loads at college.
I catch the sun quite easily as I have the dark gene like my Dad and my brothers, but my Mum's really fair. That's why I don't like the summer!
And I think that just by looking at my face, most people think that I'm dark all over, which I'm not, 'cos I don't catch the sun all over, only on my arms, and it is kind of a dark colour, but it's a nice colour.
Even if people say I've got ugly legs, I like the colour of them.
I really like my legs, cos they're not fat or anything.
My friend said you know you're really weird cos most girls are always looking in the mirror, and you don't like looking in the mirror, I said yeah, I know. I don't like looking in the mirror. I don't like looking at myself.
It's definitely desirable to be lighter. It's a huge issue.
Nowadays, light girls get the guys. It doesn't seem to matter if they're pretty or not, or whether they are a nice person. They have lighter skin.
I'm probably the darkest out of the girls I know, and it does make me feel kind of self-conscious. I've got used to it though.
I'll chat to guys on the phone, and they'll get to know my personality and they say, "Oh yeah, you're really cool!"
They think I've got a great personality and all the guys tell me I've got a great, sexy voice on the phone … but I tell them, "Yeah, but you know when you meet me you're not going to say all of that!"
"Why?" they say
and I say
"You won't" and I 've always said that, because I'm dark.
Recently I've met a guy I like, and he likes my personality. We're kind of similar in lots of ways, but not in others!
Then there’s this boy at school he’s really dark - it doesn't matter to me how dark a guy is he’s still good looking to me
I really do want to go out with him cos we can talk about anything and everything, but he’s got a girlfriend.
He's been the first one to say that, "Yes, you are pretty, you're just dark, that's all!"
He reckons my looks are alright!
I wouldn't change or make my skin lighter. I'll just stay the way I am.
