Self-acceptance is hard for many, especially when it seems as though new standards are popping up every day. A few things are avoidable, like hair color, but what isn't avoidable is skin color. My entire life I couldn't accept myself because other people couldn't accept me. People have said things like:

"Were you adopted?"

"So you have one white parent and one black parent?"

"That's your real mom?"

"How long does it take to straighten your hair?"

"Is it hard to brush your hair?"

"Your hair is wild today, it must be hard to tame"

"So what are you?

At this point, I would unrealistically wish and hope that one day I could wake up and be white so I could avoid those awkward conversations and not feel like an outcast.

Of course, it never happened, and I was forced to try and live with who I was. The thing is, though, I wanted to accept and love myself for who I was, but I was too stuck on trying to be someone I wasn't.

I still struggle with that sometimes, but on the bright side, things started getting better when I left the small town that I grew up in and went off to college. I found a group of people that accept me, but I also found that it's often other people of color who accept me.

They talk about how black is beautiful but... does that mean that I am beautiful?

I'm half African American and half white.

I was raised in a white community, but I don't fit in there.

I'm too black for the white community and too white for the black community.

Am I black or am I white?

Well, I'm a light skin.

I hadn't learned this term until this past year, but this is when your skin is lighter than black but darker than white.

What does this mean for me culturally?

Where do I fit in?

Am I not black enough?

Am I too white?

What does it mean to be stuck in the middle?

I still don't have the answers as far as being labeled a light skin is concerned, and it's so tiring because I have struggled all my life trying to find a place where I fit in.

I don't fit in with just the white or just the black people because I am both.

I tried to identify with one race over the other, but I can't because that isn't me. I'm not just white, I'm black as well.

I have been so secluded in a box that I was always terrified to embrace my black culture. It's terrifying being a huge minority in your entire town. No one had curly hair like I did, everyone liked it better when it was straightened.

But, my hair is naturally curly, and I don't need to straighten it because you want me to. Yes, it can be hard to tame sometimes, but it is wild and it is beautiful.

My skin is mine, and it is beautiful too.

It's one thing to say this stuff, but it's another to believe it. I should be embracing who I am, not hating who I am because I don't fit in. It's more important for me to accept myself rather than being accepted by everyone else around me.

It's hard being biracial, though.

I thought that I had finally accepted myself, but as I get older and continue to grow, I still find myself questioning my racial identity. I tried so hard to fit in with the white community, and now I've come to a point in my life where I'm trying to accept both parts of myself.

SEE ALSO: Colorism In Dating Is Real, And Don't You Dare Tell Me Otherwise

It's so confusing because sometimes I question if I'm appropriating black culture because I want cornrows or because I've had my hair crocheted.

Am I appropriating the culture or embracing a part of my culture?

Do I belong to this culture?

What do I know about black culture?

I mean I didn't even know how to properly care for my hair until my senior year of high school. I've asked myself numerous times over the course of my life where do I belong?

What race do I identify with?

I've always had so many questions and no answers, but I found out that I'm the one that has the answers.

I am both white and black.

I'm allowed to embrace my black culture because it's a big part of my life. I don't need to censor myself and try to fit in with those I'm surrounded by.

I've been trying so hard to fit a square into a circle when I don't need to.

Embracing your identity is a beautiful thing and it's key to accepting yourself.

No matter your race, sexual orientation, gender, etc. you have value. It can take a long time to accept -- I'm still learning how to do it -- but it's possible to be comfortable with yourself.

People similar to you and different from you are going to accept you too, and that's a great feeling. However, not everyone is going to agree with you, but you don't need to please them.

I have issues with my identity because I thought that it was bad to be different. I wanted to pretend that I looked like everyone else but in reality, we're all different.

Self-acceptance is not easy, especially when you're fighting with yourself over things you can't change like I did. I'm just trying to accept myself in a world that has unreachable standards.

I still have many obstacles, and this journey isn't over, but it's okay because I'm trying.

I identify as a woman of color and my skin is beautiful.