My pedicurist was Vietnamese, and was commenting on my white skin, and how coveted white skin is in Vietnamese culture. I got to thinking about how so many of us covet tan skin, then of course, I got to thinking about loving ourselves the way we are born. It felt nice for a change to meet someone who would give anything to have skin as fair as mine, as I've spent my entire life in a culture where I have felt embarrassed and ridiculed for having skin so fair. No matter how many times I went to a tanning bed back in the day, I was not tan. Only burned with lots of freckles. I stopped going in my early 20s when I went to a talk by a dermatologist who said to picture a tanning bed as your coffin. My skin and the sun do not get along very well. I have to be very careful not to overexpose myself without sunscreen, especially when I'm in Australia. I had a moment of true self-acceptance this afternoon, thanks to this wonderful Vietnamese woman Nina, who made my day. x o , Karli
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