Be it crayons, sketch pens, dolls or bandage, skin colour until now meant light shade. There was hardly any representation of dark-skinned people in daily requirements, as if they didn't exist. Fortunately, the times are changing and inclusivity has become among the top discussed topics on famous podiums. While we still have a long way to go for acceptance to become a norm, recently a man tweeted a picture of a dark-skin coloured bandage wrapped around his little finger and now it has gone viral.
Twitter user Dominique Apollon took to social media saying that he couldn't believe that he actually found a bandage that matched his dark skin colour. He tweeted saying, "It's taken me 45 trips around the sun, but for the first time in my life, I know what it feels like to have a 'band-aid' in my own skin tone. You can barely even spot it in the first image. For real I'm holding back tears." Cosmetic Brand Darkens a Model's Hand for a Campaign Instead of Hiring a Black Model; Brand Apologises After Being Accused of Racism.
Check out the tweet below:
It's taken me 45 trips around the sun, but for the first time in my life I know what it feels like to have a "band-aid" in my own skin tone. You can barely even spot it in the first image. For real I'm holding back tears. pic.twitter.com/GZR7hRBkJf
— Dominique Apollon (@ApollonTweets) April 19, 2019
Dominique was might impressed and so was Twitterati. In a series of tweets, he further explained that he knew that these bandages existed, but seeing it blend brought along complex emotions.
Here are the tweets:
Not like I didn't know these strips existed. But I definitely didn't expect the complex emotions that would swirl as I watched it just ... blend in. A seemingly trivial exercise I've repeated 1000x on my body with "regular" ones since childhood. Self-administered #antiblackness
— Dominique Apollon (@ApollonTweets) April 20, 2019
For those wondering, why a tweet on bandage is going viral:
This felt like belonging. Like feeling valued. Sadness for my younger self and millions of kids of color, esp black kids. Like a reminder of countless spaces where my skin is still not welcomed. Feared. Hated. Like, "Why am I really thinking all this 'bout an effing band-aid?"
— Dominique Apollon (@ApollonTweets) April 20, 2019
Here's why the conversation is important!
And I'm glad this thread has sparked some love, introspection, empathy, and conscious actions in others. White supremacy is a beast, and defeating it will take all of the above elements and more, applied at all levels of our societies. But the results will be so, so beautiful.
— Dominique Apollon (@ApollonTweets) April 20, 2019
The tweets were shared widely on social media with people sharing experiences of their growing up times. Many posted tweets how they never understood why the skin coloured crayon never matched their skin tone. The tweet has over 5 lakh likes and more than 95,000 retweets at the time of publishing this article.
Check out the reactions below:
I thought that at first, too, but then I realized yet again how many, many things white ppl just take for granted - and I got it. I never understood what was wrong with plain old clear bandaids.
— (((Karen))) (@BluAngel54) April 20, 2019
Things we actually need to discuss
Reading your thread brought me joy. I’m delighted that something so simple can mean so much to uplift your spirit. Now that you’ve brought this to my consciousness, I’d like to say, these bandages should have been available decades ago! Congratulations.
— Cathy Grimes (@CathyGrimes1) April 21, 2019
Here lies the problem:
Oh, man. The "flesh" crayon confused me so much when I was a kid, & my mom tried her best to help me find the crayon that matched me the best, but I remember being upset that nothing really worked.
— Boozy Brown Girl (@BoozyBrownGirl) April 20, 2019
My reaction right now
I’m a scientist in formation and this made me drop a tear. pic.twitter.com/efe4kPMZhK
— Val (@ValenParraga) April 20, 2019
Dominique is vice president of research for a racial justice nonprofit. His tweet is sure to have inspired at least a few minds to think about the problem. A teacher tweeted saying that the tweet inspired her to stock coloured bandages in classrooms.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2019 09:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).