Name: Dorothy Enriquez
Born: Naples, Italy
Lives: Milwaukee, WI
Handle: @ellevateher
I remember the first time I realized I was beautiful. I was 25 years old when a coworker had offered to do a photoshoot with me. I thought to myself, ‘Why in the world would he want to do a photoshoot with me? The girls in marketing are stunning and look like supermodels.’ But I decided to say yes. If there’s one thing I learned from Shonda Rhimes and Maya Angelou…say YES to everything good. Then you can figure out the details later. So, I put together a few outfits that made me feel confident and did my make-up to the best of my ability.⠀
I felt like he would be wasting my time. I was one of those young women who seemed so confident on the outside but was so uncomfortable on the inside. I lived in a sea of white women and although I was petite…I had more booty than boobs and I was the thickest size 2 ever. I know…it all seems ridiculous. But in a land of 00s and triple D’s, I honestly felt like my dark skin and barely C’s didn’t fit the bill.
Long story short, I had a couple of margaritas to loosen up, had 4 outfit changes, and took a look at the unedited version of the photos. For the first time in my life, I felt like a beautiful woman. That was the day I promised myself I would stop looking in the mirror and picking myself apart. I promised I would stop feeling like I wasn’t just pretty for a dark girl or beauty didn’t come in my complexion. I would just go on and embrace the curves, the deep chocolate complexion that has always been me, this hair that would never be bone straight, this nose that will never be narrow, thighs that will always touch, and this brain that has gotten me all the places I’ve ever needed to be along with great relationships with amazing men and women.
And I gotta say when I look in the mirror over 10 years later…rarely do I see anything wrong with Dorothy. I may put on weight or lose weight. I may break out. Hell, I had a Christmas tree rash one year and I looked like a leopard. Oh well! I am a-ok with me. I love me and this beautiful skin I’m in. I feel pretty.
