Dark-skinned Girls Rock!: Ochelle

Hey Everyone,

Hope you all are doing lovely and feeling great.

I just want to thank all of you for all the words of encouragement, comments, tweets, emails, that you guys sent me because of my last post! I love and appreciate all of you!! You guys are amazing.

On another note, I'm very excited about this post today.  It's the first installment of a new series on CherrieAmore entitled "Dark-skinned Girls Rock!" Today I'm featuring my good friend Ochelle. I've known this girl all my life and I love her like a sister. She's actually my bff's, Chanelle's older sister. You've seen Chanelle on the blog a couple of times. Anywho, enjoy the feature and leave lovely comments in the comment section.

Ochelle Ross

Everybody meet the lovely Ochelle Ross from Brooklyn, NY.  She's a Software Engineer by day and a youtube junkie by night! 

Describe yourself in 3 words. In. Your. Face.

Who are your style icons: Michelle Obama, Drew Barrymore, ZARA (lol),  and Diane Von Furstenburg. 

Tell us about your personal style: Timeless, classic, and sophisticated with emphasis on a clean silhouette.

Have you ever struggled with self-identity issues because of your complexion? If so what are some things you did to accept yourself for who you are, love yourself, and get over those issues? 

I struggled with self-identity issues all through high school. And because of that I tried to submerge myself in the background as much as I could. Instead of dressing to hide my identity I dressed to stand out, and that is how I boosted my confidence. I dabbled in fashion and took risks. I developed hair and skin regimens that made me feel as good outside as I did on the inside. Pretty soon I had a style that truly portrayed who I was as a person and it made me feel awesome.

Do you have any advice for other dark-skinned women that are struggling with accepting themselves because of the color of their skin?

No one is perfect. But so often we compare our insides to other people's outsides. Dwelling on our flaws--what we're not rather than what we've got makes it much harder to be happy. I had to realize that God made me this way for a reason and I am going to accentuate my dark skin instead of masking it or lightening it. When I truly began to believe I was beautiful despite what society said--that was the day I began to appear more attractive in the clothes I wore and that was the day I stopped caking on the makeup. It was the day people stopped me on the street to compliment me on my glow. Guys gave me double takes on the subway platform. You should know that as a dark-skinned woman you are an exotic beautiful being and when your confidence is in check, everything will fall into place!

 

What do you like most about being dark-skinned woman? 

I love the fact that we are the stars during thee summer months. I mean every one tans to look like us right?? Lets not forget to mention that we look the best, hands down, in all white.

Well there you have it! Isn't she the BOMB! Thank you so much Ochelle for participating in Dark-skinned Girls Rock! If you are a dark-skinned woman that wants to be featured in the Dark-skinned Girls Rock! series, click here.

EMBRACE YOUR BEAUTY!