I write about a lot of trivial things, that matter to me, but looking at the world and the injustice that is so prevalent, it doesn’t feel right for me to be so concerned with my own problems. We all have struggles but fortunately mine have nothing to do with the colour of my skin. I was born to two Irish parents into a white body, something I have always taken for granted. It didn’t even occur to me at a young age (and up to very recently) that this was a privilege, because, why should it be?
The harsh reality is that the system we live in, is in favour of white people. It’s all around us but being the majority, we are narrow minded and fail to recognise that life has been made easier for us, deliberately.
When it came to deciding which school I would attend, my parents had the pick of the crop, being white, Irish and catholic. They both had jobs and could afford all my school books, uniform and any extra curricular activity I wanted to try out. I made friends easily and never had to worry about being bullied for my appearance or culture. I excelled in school from a young age because I was a native English speaker and could pick up Irish easily. I don’t ever remember learning about race in primary school even though discrimination existed. I was a very naive child, now that I think about it. I had my own struggles in my family life and growing up, but the colour of my skin was not the cause of any of them.
From the age of four I attended ballet classes, an expensive hobby. The ballet shoes, a pale pink colour that matched my skin tone and the tights pale pink too. There was never a black girl or boy in my class so I failed to think about what this pink attire would look like on a person of colour, I didn’t have to think about it. The attire was created for the white majority. All the parts in every ballet show I’ve seen are white, bar the exception of the Nutcracker which showcases, Spanish, Arabian, Chinese and Russian dances, usually danced by white dancers. Ballet’s history of hundreds of years has been predominantly white and now with a much wider diversity of dancers, it is clearly still in favour of white dancers given that most dancewear brands still don’t provide for dancers of colour. This week I have realised for the first time that dancers of colour have to physically paint their pointe shoes in cheap foundation to match their skin tone because they are not catered for. When I was taught to sew the ribbons on to my pointe shoes as a young girl, it would have never crossed my mind that another little girl was painting hers brown. Some of the most talented ballet dancers in the world are not white (Misty Copeland, Arthur Mitchell) and the fact that they are still shunned in their own industry is appalling to me.
I can walk into my local pharmacy and find a near perfect foundation match. Many small makeup stands don’t offer a wide variety of shades and only cater for the white majority as it is more profitable. For black people to find their shades, they have to seek alternative beauty brands, often more expensive and less accessible. I can’t imagine how heartbreaking it would be, as a young girl excited to buy her first foundation and her shade isn’t on the stand. It’s heartbreaking for any girl or woman. We need more Rihannas in the beauty business, catering for all skin tones. I adore the Fenty ‘gloss bomb’ lip gloss that suits every skin tone. We should all be able to find that perfect lip gloss, red lipstick and foundation shade.
I can walk into Penneys or Zara and buy a new top without thinking about where it came from. People of colour are exploited to make the garments that we purchase. White people have the privilege of being far removed from this injustice. I personally ignored this issue for too long. My love of ‘fashion’ and clothes, is the cause of another persons suffering. I need to change my ways to end the discrimination.
There are so many things made easier for me because of my race. I have never had to explain my heritage to anyone or feel out of place in my own place of birth. I can turn on the TV and see people who look like me and act like me and have role models I can relate to. I’ve never had to prove my Irish citizenship to anyone. I’ve never felt less attractive than someone else because of the colour of my skin or my hair. When I came third in my gymnastic competition aged nine, I didn’t have to wonder if it was because of how I looked. When I auditioned for a role in my drama school production aged 12 and didn’t get it, it was not because of my race. When I applied for a job aged 19 and didn’t get it, I didn’t have to worry if it was because of the colour of my skin. I feel protected by the state and don’t fear being discriminated against. I don’t worry about people staring at me as I walk down the street in my small hometown. This is my white privilege.
I never want my two black cousins to grow up and experience the racism that I have been made aware of. If we educate ourselves, younger generations and older generations and rally for real change, we can ensure that my one year old cousin will be treated the exact same as is his peers. It starts now. Talk about race and realise we all belong to the one human race. I will never understand what people of colour face, but I stand with them. I acknowledge my own white privilege and I will actively query it and try to make a change.
Petitions to sign:
http://chng.it/mGMyTk5tyN – Justice for Breonna
http://chng.it/7XzCBxRGb9 – Life sentence for police brutality
https://www.change.org/p/demand-bloch-ballet-start-including-women-of-color?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_message&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=f175f630-a819-11ea-a15b-5fa4240bb29c – Demand Bloch ballet include women of colour
https://www.change.org/p/alabama-governor-kay-ivey-willie-simmons-has-served-38-years-for-a-9-robbery?recruiter=865810031&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=812122a0-d24c-11e8-aaa7-3d8a299cf951 -Willie Simmons has served 38 years for a 9 dollar robbery
Educate:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/lives-in-limbo – Irish Times article on Direct Provision
Watch 13th on Netflix
Watch When They See Us on Netflix
Listen to podcast After Work Drinks “Is Instagram An Actual Tool for Change?”
Hello Chlo 