#SMH: This One Woman Tried to Shame This Incredible Burn Survivor

You know what’s frustrating as hell? I get called to the carpet when I share stories that some deem aren’t positive enough. We all know that it’s only recently that we’ve begun to see more positive stories about black women thanks to sites like Essence, XONecole, For Harriet,  Black Girl Long Hair, and more. But when I do try to share positive stories, there are ALWAYS folks who gotta come in and discredit the story. Not only that, these stories don’t get a fraction of the views/response as the sensational ones. And I get it, we all love a little bit of drama, but when comments like the one I’m referring to are left on public pages, it really makes it hard to continue sharing positive news.

shalom-blac

Yesterday, I shared the inspiring story of Youtube Sensation, and Burn Survivor, Shalom Blac (Read about it HERE). The post has be shared numerous times all over Facebook, and almost all of the comments were positive.  Except for this one:

makeup-shaming

The comment had 8 likes and a co-signer:makeup-shamers

One woman, opted to challenge her viewpoint:
shalom

But the original commenter wasn’t having it:

makeup-shamer-shalom-blac

The other commenter tried once again:

bully-makeup-shamer

Here’s why I’m calling this person out:

  1. Like Shalom, I’ve considered suicide (read about it HERE) when my self-hatred was alive and thriving. And like Shalom, my confidence has grown through creating an online brand and recognizing the power of makeup (read about it HERE).

  2. We are all in this world battling demons every day. If someone has chosen a means of survival that is not harming themselves or you, let them live. Life is hard enough as is.

  3. Shalom is little more than a girl; she’s 20. She’s a 20  year-old burn survivor, and by the grace of God she did not kill herself that day as she had planned. Instead she has turned that energy into a platform where she boldly shows her face to the world both with and without makeup.

  4. Who is anybody to question the validity of her message and her strength? If makeup saved this woman’s life, and allows her to inspire millions of people world-wide, who is anybody to try take that away from her? Hasn’t she endured enough?

  5. The commenter describes suffering for years before having the guts to show her scars. Shalom is 20 and shows hers on a youtube platform that gets millions of views. This person admits that she couldn’t do it at that age, and she’s mad that Shalom can?

  6. Shalom is an artist. Period. Her faced is her canvas, and her talent is rare. Who is anybody to question her art?

  7. Folks on the internet are so careless with their comments that it’s gotten out of hand. Yes it’s a free country, and folks can say whatever they want, but we have got to do better. If anybody can read Shalom’s story, and watch her videos, and not be struck by the magic and the beauty in her testimony, then the problem is theirs, not hers.

  8. I know Shalom has endured far worse comments than this one, and it’s clear she’s developed some tough skin,  but to have anyone question her beauty, resilience, and strength because of their own biases against makeup is just low. low.

I hope we can all do be better and be better in 2017.

Similar Posts

One Comment

  1. I’ve watched Shalom’s make up tutorial and I’ve heard her story. She is truly a remarkable and brave young lady…Thank you for sharing this story!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *