Why dont somali women look the same anymore?

[notinuse.]

With all due respect to somali women as a whole, this question is in no way shaming girls from back home (as I myself am a young somali woman who was born there) but I'm just eager to find out what happened?

Somali women back in the day's obviously used wear different clothes that were either more western or more traditional (e.g. guntiino, dirac) but bedsides the change of clothes even the physical appearance changed. Somali women back then used to be taller, slim with curves, accepted their beautiful dark natural skin and curly hair.

View examples:

But now we got a whole wave of overweight diabetic bleached up self-hating xalimos who want to look arab as possible. Especially in places like Hargeisa and Xamar girls get shamed for being dark ? Which is so ironic because somalis would praise the first two girls in this picture belowe but tear down the second girl while the rest of the world appreciates natural somali beauty more than somalis themselves.

So my question is who's at fault? Self hating Habaryars and hooyo's enforcing their inferiority complex in to young somali girls which ends up in them hating themselves, or somali men constantly praising arab looking women and downgrading somali women.

 

[𐒁𐒚𐒒𐒂𐒘𐒂𐒗 𐒎𐒚𐒗𐒗𐒒]

The poison started with allowing Asian Movies to dominate Somali entertainment. Our elders used to watch Bollywood films. What does this do to people's psyche? Somalia's Governments failed its people, by not controlling what is imported. The Chinese figured this out a long time ago and they control what their people consume.

You can't expect people to constantly watch Whites and Asians and not change their perceptions of beauty.

 

[notinuse.]

The poison started with allowing Asian Movies to dominate Somali entertainment. Our elders used to watch Bollywood films. What does this do to people's psyche? Somalia's Governments failed its people, by not controlling what is imported. The Chinese figured this out a long time ago and they control what their people consume.

You can't expect people to constantly watch White and Asians and not change their perceptions of beauty.

Makes sense ! I can see the same pattern in East Asians (Japanese & koreans) as they used to consume a lot of American and European films in the 80s/90s and now you got young Asian girls (and even Asian men) getting nose jobs, shaving off their jaws and bleaching their hair and skin to look more eurocentric. Even in anime and kpop they look straight up white than Asian.

 

[Al-Ma'mun]

Somalis always wanted to look Middle Eastern, this is why we all made up the Quraishi myths

Only now in modern times they have the means to achieve the standard they always wanted

 

[𐒁𐒚𐒒𐒂𐒘𐒂𐒗 𐒎𐒚𐒗𐒗𐒒]

Makes sense ! I can see the same pattern in East Asians (Japanese & koreans) as they used to consume a lot of American and European films in the 80s/90s and now you got young Asian girls (and even Asian men) getting nose jobs, shaving off their jaws and bleaching their hair and skin to look more eurocentric. Even in anime and kpop they look straight up white than Asian.

I heard/read that Somalis before Colonialism, used to think the Maariin skin-tone was the most beautiful. This makes perfect sense as most Somalis are Maariin or Dark and Somalis used to have very high self-esteem. How come, all of a sudden, light-skin is popular? When most Somalis are not light-skinned. This is social engineering.

There are so many harmful side-effects to bleaching, not just to the person using it, but to their children. Those toxins seep into their skin and cause birth-defects etc. SMH

 

[𐒁𐒚𐒒𐒂𐒘𐒂𐒗 𐒎𐒚𐒗𐒗𐒒]

Somalis always wanted to look Middle Eastern, this is why we all made up the Quraishi myths

Only now in modern times they have the means to achieve the standard they always wanted

Somalis wanting to be close to the Prophet lineage-wise, is not the same as wanting to look Arab. Don't confuse the two.

 

[Prince of HS]

not even on a homo ting but if you compare the somali men back in the day compared to today,they dont look the same either.

 

[𐒁𐒚𐒒𐒂𐒘𐒂𐒗 𐒎𐒚𐒗𐒗𐒒]

not even on a homo ting but if you compare the somali men back in the day compared to today,they dont look the same either.

Somalis have been ruined by soft and greasy Asian food. Somali men went from being lean and fierce to having birthing hips and calools. They need to go back to their ancestral diet, CC @Shimbiris

 

[Chaseyourdreamzz]

Fob TikTok showed me how bad this phenomenon was some of these fobs look like clowns literally

 

[Prince of HS]

Somalis have been ruined by soft and greasy Asian food. Somali men went from being lean and fierce to having birthing hips and calools. They need to go back to their ancestral diet, CC @Shimbiris

if you go to baadiyo, men who live off camel milk, meat, food like soor and less oily food maintain a lean frame even until their late 80's. but in the cities, bariis and pasta have corrupted the men. they all have extremely skinny frame or skinny fat with prominent love handles

 

[Gareeys]

I heard/read that Somalis before Colonialism, used to think the Maariin skin-tone was the most beautiful. This makes perfect sense as most Somalis are Maariin or Dark and Somalis used to have very high self-esteem. How come, all of a sudden, light-skin is popular? When most Somalis are not light-skinned. This is social engineering.

There are so many harmful side-effects to bleaching, not just to the person using it, but to their children. Those toxins seep into their skin and cause birth-defects etc. SMH

Not even before colonialism tbh, I’ve noticed that bleaching and lightskin obsession has always been very normalized in the north. Whereas prior to the civil war southern Somalis never had an issue with mariin/dark skin people and bleaching was unheard of. Even now it’s starting to popularize in xamar and surrounding areas but the color struck mindset that waqooyi ppl have is insane. My uncle was married to one and the way she would speak on darker people was disgusting. It’s funny though, she is not even light herself well at least not light enough for a southerner

 

[Hodan from HR]

These women are product of their environment. This is caused by ignorance but can we blame them? Some were born after the civil war and were brought up in poverty and instability.

By the way, this bleaching is not common among diaspora women.

 

[𐒁𐒚𐒒𐒂𐒘𐒂𐒗 𐒎𐒚𐒗𐒗𐒒]

Not even before colonialism tbh, I’ve noticed that bleaching and lightskin obsession has always been very normalized in the north. Whereas prior to the civil war southern Somalis never had an issue with mariin/dark skin people and bleaching was unheard of. Even now it’s starting to popularize in xamar and surrounding areas but the color struck mindset that waqooyi ppl have is insane. My uncle was married to one and the way she would speak on darker people was disgusting. It’s funny though, she is not even light herself well at least not light enough for a southerner

I've noticed that too. North-Westerners are more obsessed with skin-bleaching than the rest, but now it's infected everyone. Same thing with Khat. Negative habits are like a virus, they spread.

 

[𐒁𐒚𐒒𐒂𐒘𐒂𐒗 𐒎𐒚𐒗𐒗𐒒]

These women are product of their environment. It is caused by ignorance but can we blame them? Some were born after the civil war and were brought up in poverty and instability.

By the way, this bleaching is not common among diaspora women.

Thank god.

I'm sure it helps that most Somali models shown in the West are dark-skinned. When you have enough positive imagery, you will have less incentive to hate yourself.

 

[notinuse.]

These women are product of their environment. It is caused by ignorance but can we blame them? Some were born after the civil war and were brought up in poverty and instability.

By the way, this bleaching is not common among diaspora women.

I have clearly stated that I am in no-way shaming these young women, rather pitying them as they have to be constantly shamed by their community on their natural skin tone that God has given them. I am criticising the somali elders (especially habaryars) for making young girls hate themselves.

 

[Awad]

Not even before colonialism tbh, I’ve noticed that bleaching and lightskin obsession has always been very normalized in the north. Whereas prior to the civil war southern Somalis never had an issue with mariin/dark skin people and bleaching was unheard of. Even now it’s starting to popularize in xamar and surrounding areas but the color struck mindset that waqooyi ppl have is insane. My uncle was married to one and the way she would speak on darker people was disgusting. It’s funny though, she is not even light herself well at least not light enough for a southerner

Is there a genetic difference in skin tone between north and southeners or is it just climate? I'm MX and my grandparents are from galkayco but most of my family isn't very dark for the most part

 

[notinuse.]

Is there a genetic difference in skin tone between north and southeners or is it just climate? I'm MX and my grandparents are from galkayco but most of my family isn't very dark for the most part

I always thought us northerners were darker and more taller, as we have more nomadic people compared to the South.

 

[Awad]

I always thought us northerners were darker and more taller, as we have more nomadic people compared to the South.

But isn't the north more industrialized?

 

[Gareeys]

Is there a genetic difference in skin tone between north and southeners or is it just climate? I'm MX and my grandparents are from galkayco but most of my family isn't very dark for the most part

Tbh I dunno. Northerners are typically dark to me, but then that’s because my family grew up in the south and what’s light to reer waqoyi isn’t light to ppl in konfur. They’ll call someone in between light whereas we see that as brown. My grandmothers from a town near wardheer and her family is dark. So I’m not sure if it’s the climate tbh.

 

[Hodan from HR]

I have clearly stated that I am in no-way shaming these young women, rather pitying them as they have to be constantly shamed by their community on their natural skin tone that God has given them. I am criticising the somali elders (especially habaryars) for making young girls hate themselves.

I know. Was not addressing OP.

When I visit back home, I get alot of comments how I am pretty but would be much prettier if I bleached myself. Some distant habaryar gave me bleaching cream as gift when I was leaving loooool..

Only woman who complimented my skintone was a 80 yr old ayeyo. She said I have midibka asalka ah gabdaha somali use to have and told me to not bleach myself. Remember older habaryars were teenagers when the war happened. In a way they are also product of their environment. Even the men. I just think we shouldn't point fingers since none of us can guarantee we won't turn like them if we were in their shoes.