Growing up in a predominantly white midwestern town, there were very few people I could talk to about the severe insecurities I had over my appearance. Like many young women, these feelings started early and increased during my teen years. At this time, I was also a fangirl of magazines like Seventeen and YM. Thus, my beauty idols were the supermodels and actresses I saw in their glossy pages—blue-eyed blondes who I, from a physical attributes POV, had zero in common with.

These celebrities represented what I understood to be physical perfection, in terms of appearance: flawlessly pale skin, extremely thin bodies, and effortlessly styled hair. I desperately wanted to be beautiful too. Although I knew I couldn’t change my skin color or my hair texture, being thin seemed to be an attainable goal. And it was one I would be rewarded for. As soon as I started losing weight, friends and family began showering me with compliments about my appearance—something I had craved for years.

Though well-meaning, these compliments had a negative effect. I started to believe I was pretty because I fit into a smaller clothing size. Rather than helping me gain confidence and comfort in my body as it was, they reinforced what I had already subconsciously internalized from popular TV shows, movies, and music videos: being slender was almost as attractive (and valuable) as being white.

At the time, I hadn’t yet heard the words sizeism and colorism. But the value of thinness and the concept of people with lighter skin being favored over those with darker skin (in general and in many communities of color) were realities I already understood. Around biological relatives, I had always been “cute.” However, among my white friends at school, I was mostly ignored—at least in terms of looks. I just didn’t rank. Or at least that’s how I felt. I now know that such thoughts are not uncommon for Black and Brown youth.

The idealization of white or light skin, or colorism, can be traced back for centuries in many regions around the world. In the United States, this harmful beauty standard has roots in the dominant culture’s justifications for enslaving Black people. In some European and Asian countries, colorism has its roots in the caste system. The poorest members of society were forced to do hard labor outside, and the intense sun exposure made their skin darker. Therefore, darker skin was considered less desirable than the lighter complexions of the upper class, who largely lived and worked indoors.

Colorism still exists today because the legacy of white supremacy has far-reaching social and psychological effects. Lighter skin tones and thinner bodies continue to be promoted via the media and advertisements as the preferred “look” in terms of the influencers who are most frequently hired to work with popular brands. In fact, data collected in 2023 revealed that “BIPOC creators experience the most notable hurdles…while 73% of white influencers will have landed their first paid engagement within a year, just 46% of BIPOC talent will reach the same milestone—a delay that ultimately impedes their long-term success.”

I wrote The Glam World Tour to mute this narrative—especially the version that can get stuck in our heads. So read this book aloud. Read it to yourself. Read it to children. Allow your eyes to take in the boldness and vibrancy that radiates from Octavia Ink’s illustrations of hairstyles, nail art, and makeup tools from around the world. My words and her artwork affirm that beauty is NOT in the eye of the beholder. It is inside of each one of us. Sit with that for a moment. Then repeat it again and again.

I was a child whose life could have been changed for the better if a book like this had existed while I was growing up. Having received treatment for anorexia nervosa off and on for more than twenty years, I am lucky to be alive. There are other women I knew, either while growing up or while I was in treatment, who no longer are. I wrote this book so that children of color would have a story that celebrates how fabulous we naturally look and how cool traditional beauty culture is so they can embrace it.

But kids cannot absorb my intentions alone. They need the adults in their lives (parents, caregivers, educators, coaches) to consistently encourage, rather than diminish, them. In some families or friend groups, it is not uncommon for children (girls in particular) to be given nicknames at a young age. These nicknames are often associated with their skin tone and/or body type, like gordita, flakitin, negrito, guera, la prieta fea, and vaca.

Monikers related to body size and skin shades can lower a child’s self-esteem early on, making it harder for kids to shed harmful, false perceptions of who they are, in addition to how others see them. Outdated terms of “endearment” have been passed from one generation to the next for so long that no one stops to reflect on how, where, and from whom they originated. And often in communities of color, the answer to any—or all—of these questions, is colonialism.

As adults, we need to do our part to ensure we create safe spaces in our homes, schools, and neighborhoods that foster physical, mental, and emotional health for all children. That starts by affirming their inherent beauty, as well as our own, and modeling healthier behaviors through actions and words. We want the next generation to not only grow up, but GLOW UP.

Even though I will never meet every child who will read The Glam World Tour, I already know she/he/they are beautiful. And I hope not one will ever be fooled into believing the opposite. Because the world needs more—not less—of our collective talent, ideas, and voices. It’s wonderful to not only just be seen, but to SHINE!

About the Author
Rachel Werner is the founder of The Little Book Project WI, a bi-annual community arts and nonprofit printmaking collaboration. Her literary writing and craft essays have been published by Off Menu Press, Digging Through The Fat, and Voyage YA Literary Journal. A selection of Rachel's recipes are also included in Wisconsin Cocktails (UW-Press, 2020)—and her poetry in the anthology Hope Is The Thing: Wisconsinites On Hope and Resilience in the Time of Covid-19 (The Wisconsin Historical Society, 2021).

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