Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In “(S)Kin,” author Ibi Zoboi portrays the teenage experience of young girls who are pressured into looking a certain way that almost seems perfect.
Through the story of a girl that struggles with her changing body and complexion, Zoboi shows how beauty standards are constantly rewriting self esteem, especially for young Black girls.
The story follows Marisol and Genevieve who are insecure about their skin: the shade, breakouts, and how constantly it changes. This becomes their main insecurity.
Zoboi shows how Marisol and Genevieve’s insecurities don’t stem from one factor, but many. Through the use of comments from friends, relatives, and society to reveal colorism, Marisol and Genevieve paint a picture of how lighter skinned people are more conventionally attractive and seen as more valuable.
These remarks teach Genevieve that lighter skin and features, deemed as “perfect” to society, are often seen as superior while everyone who looks different to the standard is criticized or ignored. Marisol is taught that in order to know who she is, she must accept her background and her legacy first.
The scenes are often used as lessons so the reader can see how Marisol and Genevieve’s self esteem are affected by their environmental factors such as societal expectations. As the story continues, our protagonist struggles with trying to find a solution to her insecurities for her skin. She faces embarrassment and frustration because she can’t change herself to be what society lies.
Skin becomes a revelation of culture, history, and the messages that social factors have been sending for generations that continue to affect the newer generations today.
By the end of the story, Zoboi doesn’t give a solution to these problems. Instead, she engages readers with a complex question: why is everyone trapped by beauty standards?
“(S)Kin” is a reminder that being comfortable in your own skin isn’t easy, but what’s more uncomfortable is trying to be enough for society when you’re not made to fit the standard.
