10-Year-Old Shuts Down Bullies By Launching Clothing Line That Helps People Feel Confident In Their Skin
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Meet Kheris Rogers – the 10-year-old who started a clothing line after being bullied for her dark skin.
It all started when her 22-year-old sister Taylor Pollard wanted to make her feel better by posting pictures of Kheris on Twitter with the caption: My sister is only 10, but already royalty #FlexinInHerComplexion. Surprisingly, the tweet went viral with over 83k likes and it eventually not only made Kheris feel better but also encouraged her to create her own clothing line – Flexin’ In My Complexion.
“I’ve been bullied a lot, like in the first grade, I went to school with just four other black kids,” Rogers told Mic. “And kids used to bully me because they weren’t used to my skin tone. There was an incident with a teacher and we had to draw ourselves and she gave us a black crayon instead of a brown crayon, and I was really upset.” But now that Rogers has launched her clothing line, she feels confident as ever: “I feel confident in it myself because, even if I still get picked on because I’m darker, when I put on the T-shirt, it makes me feel bold.” Hopefully, the empowering clothing line will help everyone feel confident in their skin: “I just hope that especially for younger kids, people start to feel more confident in their skin,” Pollard said. “It doesn’t matter how dark or light you are, just knowing that it’s beautiful and that your complexion doesn’t determine your beauty.”
More info: Instagram | flexininmycomplexion.com (h/t: mic)
Meet Kheris Rogers – the 10-year-old who was bullied for her dark skin and decided to do something about it
“I’ve been bullied a lot, like in the first grade, I went to school with just four other black kids,” Rogers said
“And kids used to bully me because they weren’t used to my skin tone”
“There was an incident with a teacher and we had to draw ourselves and she gave us a black crayon instead of a brown crayon, and I was really upset”
Then one day Roger’s sister wanted to make her feel better about her skin so she posted her pics on Twitter with the caption:
“My sister is only 10, but already royalty #FlexinInHerComplexion”
The tweet went viral with over 83k likes and it not only made her feel better but encouraged her to start an empowering t-shirt line
“I feel confident in it myself because, even if I still get picked on because I’m darker, when I put on the T-shirt, it makes me feel bold”
“I just hope that especially for younger kids, people start to feel more confident in their skin,” Pollard said
“It doesn’t matter how dark or light you are, just knowing that it’s beautiful and that your complexion doesn’t determine your beauty”
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My friend, who is white, used to be in a mostly black and Hispanic school and was bullied for her skin color. Racism goes both ways.
my oldest daughter is the only white kid in her class(she's half hispanic, but is pale with blonde hair/blue eyes), to my knowledge she's never been bullied. she did have an experience like this girl once, a little girl told her she should color her self portrait with a white crayon, she just laughed and said she wasn't white, she was peach.
I was peach, too! I never understood it when people talked about races as primary colors, when obviously Crayola had it down.
That's because the other kids don't tell her white skin is ugly. The type of teasing is different. I was dark when I was little & even people in my family thought that was a bad sign because how I could be treated & they encouraged me to stay out of the sun, but not mt sister, she was light. Kids at school told those of us who were dark that black skin was ugly & we believed them. So it hurt more to see ourselves as darker than we were. When I lightened up my attitude changed & everyone started to tell me I was pretty. I did lose some friends though because I was a white girl now & they were jealous. That's the difference.
True. Although white people can usually break out of poverty situations far easier. I lived in Detroit for 10 years and cashiers, etc. would smile and chat with the black guy in front of me but would give me a look that would melt steel. I always thought to myself: "but, hey, sister, I'm here in the same situation as you." But I really wasn't...I got out.
I'm mixed but I got that light skinned privilegde so I got out while eveyone else stayed behind. It's sad but 100% true. We always were taught to act white, forget our culture, speak only english & do it with the right accent. Don't hang out with the other kids, stay out of the sun (they knew nothing about skin cancer but I was too dark). All so that we could have a decent chance at life. We didn't hate white people, heck we were part white we just weren't white enough & we hated the system.
Finally someone else speaks the truth instead of trying to cry oh poor little white me!!
hmm. Not sure why this showed up twice?
I grew up as a pale redhead in a predominantly Hispanic community, was picked on enough that I wanted to dye my hair black in 3rd grade...
But it's just school not all the world around....
Wow every single time. Well she'll get 'em back when she can get a good job & stay outta jail no matter what she does because she's white & that's the way the real world works.
P.S. I'm mixed & yes I've been bullied for my skin color on both sides. It is not the same is systemic racism!! Please wake the heck up!!!
I kind of want one of those shirts because I'm peachy/ porcelain and it doesn't bother me
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Racism does not go both ways, because everything you see on television, on commercial products, on posters, billboards, magazines, etc., all affirm a euro-centric standard of beauty which is *impossible* for people of color, especially black, to maintain. And that's just in regards to aesthetic racism; when it comes to the inherent assumptions people make on behavior based on skin color, racism exists on a multitude dimensions, carrying with it consequences that can be -- quite literally -- life or death. This isn't some "You said some things, I said some things" kind of deal. Racism is historically one-sided, especially in the context of this country (America) and to paint it as being any other way -- especially in an article that should provoke nothing but respect for this little girl -- is both ignorant and contrived. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to wait to be down-voted for being too real on the internets...
You aren't being real, you're being ridiculous. Racism is, by definition "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race". That can most certainly go both ways, and I have seen it do so
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
There's always one of these comments.
She is Beautiful, She can be a Model soon, hope so.
Or maybe a nuclear physicist... neurosurgeon... teacher.... lawyer... project manager
agree with sarah ;) But no doubt she is so beautiful it gave me goosebumps
I think Anne was saying she could become a model to inspire other girls that they can be confident no matter how they look, but I understand
That’s true. But if she is smart, she’ll be a model.
That was soooo deep omg.....
Models bring beauty to the world too. There may be others that assume a modeling career path is an enticed aspect, thinking women that pursue it are shallow or objects on a pedestal, but too often, the good aspects are lost under the negatives: diverse faces/races, plus size modeling, or everyday still-life images, as her. Some people may take it to a place of bitterness, or jealously, or seen as exploiting of the body, but it's hard work/an art form, and as a girl, celebrating the beauty of her skin, she shouldn't be brought down if she chooses to pursue it, because some perceive it degraded, one line of work over another. If some want to change what they see as a negative in the modeling industry, then there should be positives that inspire diversity of different bodies/faces in the industry. Not saying she couldn't be any of those other jobs, but that doesn't mean this little girl can't also change the world, too, by also being a model - if she were to choose it. It's her life.
Oh dear sweet girl! I know it's hard when you're young but never, ever let anyone make you feel anything but a beautiful woman because of the shade of your skin. You are stunning!
My friend, who is white, used to be in a mostly black and Hispanic school and was bullied for her skin color. Racism goes both ways.
my oldest daughter is the only white kid in her class(she's half hispanic, but is pale with blonde hair/blue eyes), to my knowledge she's never been bullied. she did have an experience like this girl once, a little girl told her she should color her self portrait with a white crayon, she just laughed and said she wasn't white, she was peach.
I was peach, too! I never understood it when people talked about races as primary colors, when obviously Crayola had it down.
That's because the other kids don't tell her white skin is ugly. The type of teasing is different. I was dark when I was little & even people in my family thought that was a bad sign because how I could be treated & they encouraged me to stay out of the sun, but not mt sister, she was light. Kids at school told those of us who were dark that black skin was ugly & we believed them. So it hurt more to see ourselves as darker than we were. When I lightened up my attitude changed & everyone started to tell me I was pretty. I did lose some friends though because I was a white girl now & they were jealous. That's the difference.
True. Although white people can usually break out of poverty situations far easier. I lived in Detroit for 10 years and cashiers, etc. would smile and chat with the black guy in front of me but would give me a look that would melt steel. I always thought to myself: "but, hey, sister, I'm here in the same situation as you." But I really wasn't...I got out.
I'm mixed but I got that light skinned privilegde so I got out while eveyone else stayed behind. It's sad but 100% true. We always were taught to act white, forget our culture, speak only english & do it with the right accent. Don't hang out with the other kids, stay out of the sun (they knew nothing about skin cancer but I was too dark). All so that we could have a decent chance at life. We didn't hate white people, heck we were part white we just weren't white enough & we hated the system.
Finally someone else speaks the truth instead of trying to cry oh poor little white me!!
hmm. Not sure why this showed up twice?
I grew up as a pale redhead in a predominantly Hispanic community, was picked on enough that I wanted to dye my hair black in 3rd grade...
But it's just school not all the world around....
Wow every single time. Well she'll get 'em back when she can get a good job & stay outta jail no matter what she does because she's white & that's the way the real world works.
P.S. I'm mixed & yes I've been bullied for my skin color on both sides. It is not the same is systemic racism!! Please wake the heck up!!!
I kind of want one of those shirts because I'm peachy/ porcelain and it doesn't bother me
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Racism does not go both ways, because everything you see on television, on commercial products, on posters, billboards, magazines, etc., all affirm a euro-centric standard of beauty which is *impossible* for people of color, especially black, to maintain. And that's just in regards to aesthetic racism; when it comes to the inherent assumptions people make on behavior based on skin color, racism exists on a multitude dimensions, carrying with it consequences that can be -- quite literally -- life or death. This isn't some "You said some things, I said some things" kind of deal. Racism is historically one-sided, especially in the context of this country (America) and to paint it as being any other way -- especially in an article that should provoke nothing but respect for this little girl -- is both ignorant and contrived. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to wait to be down-voted for being too real on the internets...
You aren't being real, you're being ridiculous. Racism is, by definition "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race". That can most certainly go both ways, and I have seen it do so
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
There's always one of these comments.
She is Beautiful, She can be a Model soon, hope so.
Or maybe a nuclear physicist... neurosurgeon... teacher.... lawyer... project manager
agree with sarah ;) But no doubt she is so beautiful it gave me goosebumps
I think Anne was saying she could become a model to inspire other girls that they can be confident no matter how they look, but I understand
That’s true. But if she is smart, she’ll be a model.
That was soooo deep omg.....
Models bring beauty to the world too. There may be others that assume a modeling career path is an enticed aspect, thinking women that pursue it are shallow or objects on a pedestal, but too often, the good aspects are lost under the negatives: diverse faces/races, plus size modeling, or everyday still-life images, as her. Some people may take it to a place of bitterness, or jealously, or seen as exploiting of the body, but it's hard work/an art form, and as a girl, celebrating the beauty of her skin, she shouldn't be brought down if she chooses to pursue it, because some perceive it degraded, one line of work over another. If some want to change what they see as a negative in the modeling industry, then there should be positives that inspire diversity of different bodies/faces in the industry. Not saying she couldn't be any of those other jobs, but that doesn't mean this little girl can't also change the world, too, by also being a model - if she were to choose it. It's her life.
Oh dear sweet girl! I know it's hard when you're young but never, ever let anyone make you feel anything but a beautiful woman because of the shade of your skin. You are stunning!