Former Generations star Sthandiwe Kgoroge has spoken out about her passion for instilling confidence in the dark-skinned black girl, saying representation has always been a big deal for her.
In an interview with Trending SA, Sthandiwe said growing up partially in Canada she always looked for faces that looked like hers because her identity was always questioned.
"That is why representation is important to me it has been from a very young age. The moment I saw someone who looked like me it was a big deal."
She went on to tell the story of how she was so excited to see another older black girl at her school that she went up to her to tell her that the other kids were picking on her even though she was a complete stranger.
Sthandiwe explained that it stemmed from a deep desire to reconnect with "a face like hers" because for the longest time "being different" was used against her.
"For the longest I wanted to look like everyone else. That was the cool thing to look like everyone else because I had my kind of hair that was this short because my mom had to cut it. There weren't enough product, if any to help maintain my hair. My parents tried to reaffirm me but you know you spend most of your time at school."
Sthandiwe said her transition into being an activist for culture and against colourism was organic for her because she wants young black girls to be confident in how they look. She said she was disappointed that in 2018 there were still people that associated black skin with dirt.
The actress was also responsible for a #BlackLove celebration in True Love magazine.
The shoot, which was praised all over Africa featured couples dressed in African regalia who were celebrating black love for the February issue.
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