I'm so excited to be sharing this sneak peek of my upcoming book, I DON'T BELONG TO YOU: Quiet the Noise and Find Your Voice! I want my fans to be the first to read it, so every Friday for the next four weeks, I'm going to give you a brand new excer...
I've had it all, from people bashing my hairstyle, my acne scars, my singing voice, my acting skills, I could go on and on and on. I either laugh at myself or make it a game and see how well I can flip a negative into a positive. There was one instance recently where a mean-spirited comment caught my attention.
I posted a selfie where I was barefaced talking about my new tan lines. I had been at the beach, and I thought nothing of showing the real me to all of my fans and friends because I had done it several times before, and I like for people to see the real me. I stopped caring a long time ago if people were offended by my acne. It's something that I had to live with. I had to stop expecting other people to accept me, and I had to accept me. My fearlessness in sharing my imperfections is motivated by me wanting others who have gone through what I go through to have a moment of reprieve. It happens. We aren't perfect. So yes, I want them sometimes to see my acne scars and bad hair days because I want them to know that we all have them!
A blog called MTO took a screenshot and tried to create their own story, and the haters/cousins came out to play, let me tell you, hahahaha!!!!! The trolls called me "unattractive" and referred to me as a "drug addict" and any number of other insulting and degrading names they could throw in there. To make matters worse, it was mostly young black men posting ugly comments.
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I was perfectly happy to ignore the post until I saw the concerned responses from my female fans who were worried I'd taken the lowbrow attacks to heart. That is where I drew the line. I thought to myself how can I make this an empowering moment for all of us women?
After a few days, I began to think harder about the post's responses and even more about the young women (and some men) who seemed hurt by the poisonous arrows meant for me. Then it hit me! Those women (and some men) were facing the same mean-spirited trolls who had come after me every day of their own lives.
I really felt for them then, because some people are so hurt that the only way they can feel good about themselves is by insulting and putting other people down in the same fashion. #HURTPEOPLEHURTPEOPLE. I ended up making a post not about me but about embracing what's natural instead of hating what isn't perfect. It became #NOMAKEUPCHALLENGE and many girls tweeted me their photos just as I tweeted mine. It was a special moment.
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I hope you've enjoyed these sneak peeks at my book, I DON'T BELONG TO YOU, which you can preorder at kekepalmer.com. Next Friday, I want to hear from you. Come back to this space and tell me about a time when you proved you don't belong to anyone but yourself. Thank you for reading, and remember that I love you all!
