Kheris Rogers is not yet a teenager but she is already the founder and owner of Flexin’ In My Complexion. Flexin’ In My Complexion is an amazing company that promotes feeling amazing in the skin one is in. Rogers started her business after being bullied for her skin tone and in honor of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, I would love to share Rogers’ story. Kay Kay’s Way thanks, Rogers and her sister Taylor Pollard for agreeing to share Rogers’ bullying story with us and our readers. Enjoy!
Rogers: I went to a predominately white school (there were only two other black kids in my class) and I have been bullied for my skin complexion since I started the first grade. It was then that I started getting teased by children for having a darker complexion that they did. There was even an incident where my teacher (who was not a person of color) gave me a black crayon instead of a brown one to color myself. It was at that school where I started to become uncomfortable in my skin. I would come home crying all the time wishing I was lighter. I felt this way because I thought that the only reason the students and teacher acted differently towards me because I had a darker complexion than everyone else. In the second grade, I transferred to a more diverse school in my neighborhood in hopes that I would not deal with the bullying that I faced at my previous school. However, despite the school being more diverse, I was now being teased by other black children who were either lighter than me or just as dark as me.
Kay Kay’s Way: How did your bullying experience affect you?
Rogers: Being bullied for something that I cannot change made me feel uncomfortable in my skin. It made me wish that if I was lighter, people would stop teasing me and stop trying to make me feel bad for having chocolate skin. However, there have been so many people supporting me and sending me sweet messages on social media. These kind acts have helped my confidence because I know that I am not alone. Now I feel like it is not just my family that has my back, but a whole community of people.
Kay Kay’s Way: What advice would you give to people dealing with bullying?
Rogers: If you are dealing with bullying, do not be afraid to stand up for yourself and do not be afraid to speak up. Ever since I started speaking out, I feel so much better. Holding how you really feel in is not a good feeling. There have been adults commenting on my pictures or videos saying that I am just overly sensitive and that colorism is not real. However, since I found my voice, I do not care about anyone’s opinion anymore. I know that colorism is real because I have experienced it all my life and I am going to continue to speak out about it.
P.S: Colorism is very real. Please CLICK HERE to learn more about what colorism is.
Kay Kay’s Way: What advice would you give to people who are bullying others?
Rogers: To people that are bullying others, you should take the time to think about how you make the other person feel. You should think about if what you are about to say or do to another person is even necessary. My mom always told me, "Treat people how you want to be treated."
Kay Kay’s Way would like to thank Rogers for sharing her experience with our readers. Please CLICK HERE to read my previous interview with Rogers. Also, to keep up with Rogers, please follow @kherispoppin on Instagram.
Photo of Rogers: Photo taken by Taylor Pollard.
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