If I had a dime for every time someone came up to me and said something about wanting to be as dark as I am or wishing they had my curly hair, then I’d be rich. It’s no secret that every day, people who aren’t Black, particularly women, attempt to achieve our status of beauty. From tanning beds, to lip thickening techniques, everyone wants to be us. Despite the fact that the Black woman is one of the most berated, harassed, fetishized and unsupported beings in America, we still manage to keep our sanity and support one another, put others’ needs before our own, rock our curly fros and show off our dark skin whenever possible; all beautiful traits that bestow us with the title of “magic.”

With that said, I wanted to take the time, amidst all of the recent tragedies that have affected the world, to send good vibes to my fellow sisters of color. This list of reasons why Black girls are literally magic was a collaboration between my Black sisters and brothers who inspire me to show off my sun-kissed skin every day. We’re dope, we’re unbreakable and we’re deserving of positive words. Shouts out to all of you beautiful black women.

This article is in no way a statement to put down or ignore women of other cultures. It is, instead, a chance for me to personally admire and recognize the beauty of the women of my culture. All women are equally beautiful and worthy of praise, it’s just time to put ours’ in the forefront for a change.

1. Our skin tones are a plethora of colors, hues and shades that only we can identify.

Melanin on point.

2. And there are a million words used to describe the beauty of our skin tones.

Coffee, caramel, chocolate…the list goes on.

3. We have beautiful and unique features.

Full or small lips, almond or round eyes, long and pressed hair or tight short curls…

4. We require little to no makeup.

We (as well as all women) are lucky enough to rock the natural look.

5. All we really need is a bit of Shea butter, a dab of coconut oil, some black soap, a little cocoa butter and we’re good to go.

The real ingredients that make up Black girl magic.

6. Our titles run from anything from "Nubian Queen" to "Soul Sista."

Dopest nicknames around.

7. Black don’t crack, but Black women definitely don’t crack.

Like fine wine, we only get better with age.

8. Our hair is magical in itself.

It changes shape, color, texture all with the help of a hot comb or a twist out.

9. We tolerate a lot yet we still stand strong and supportive of those who need us.

We support a lot of people, cheers to us.

10. We can be physically and emotionally strong, yet soft at the same time.

We’ve found a perfect balance (for the most part).

11. We’re very wise.

African American grandmothers, mothers and sisters give the best advice I’ve ever heard (exhibit A: Maya Angelou).

12. Our bodies come in all shapes and sizes, all of which are beautiful.

BBW, short, tall, skinny, athletic, you name it; we’re all hot mamas.

13. Even though we run all over the spectrum of skin tone, we’re all sisters.

This still amazes me every day.

14. We’re all literally radiant beings.

Sounds cocky, but it’s true (throwback to prom).

15. Basically any color looks bomb on us because of our beautiful skin.

Orange, red, blue, black, yellow, it doesn’t matter.

16. Though we’ve been ignored by all kinds of men, we’ve proven we really don’t need a man to prove our worth.

"All the single ladies, all the single ladies..."

17. We’ve contributed a lot to history, though our contributions have mostly been ignored.

I swear, we do stuff.

18. We have women like Serena and Venus Williams, Misty Copeland and Michelle Obama constantly creating history for us.

Some of the most influential women alive are part of our culture. How cool is that?

19. We lead the United States in college enrollment.

Yeah, we go to college.

20. We vote more than anyone else.

We’re politically awake too.

21. We literally call and recognize each other as "magical."

#BlackGirlMagic is a real thing.

22. We stood (and still stand) behind a lot of great black men in history.

Shout out to Coretta Scott King, Michelle Obama and all the other women who helped men achieve their greatness.

23. Our overdose of melanin proves we’re literally kissed by the sun.

24. Everyone wants to date us.

Just can’t help themselves.

25. And finally...we’re just dope.

Love you, Black women. Keep holding it down like we do so well.

Special thanks to Kendra Winchester and Leven Simon-Seay; two dear friends who contributed to this article.