‘You Look Just Like Your Daddy’: Black Women Share Their Favorite Parts About Resembling Their Fathers

Rising up and continually listening to, “You look similar to your daddy,” can evoke a spread of feelings for a younger woman. It would result in moments of self-doubt and confusion, making her marvel, “Dang, was {that a} diss?” This comparability could be difficult, particularly throughout early life when a lady’s sense of identification and vanity are nonetheless creating. However, it may additionally evolve into a way of pleasure understanding that they carry the privilege of getting their father’s facial recognition wherever they go.

This Father’s Day, EBONY requested Black ladies to share their emotions about listening to they resemble their fathers. We explored whether or not these comparisons impacted them positively or negatively and the way they overcame any detrimental results. For a lot of, being informed they regarded like their fathers introduced a mixture of feelings. Some felt pleasure in carrying a visual hyperlink to their heritage and familial roots, discovering energy within the traits handed down from a paternal determine. Others grappled with emotions of insecurity, questioning their femininity and societal requirements of magnificence. Regardless of these challenges, many ladies discovered methods to embrace and have fun their distinctive options. They discovered to see the sweetness of their individuality, typically discovering empowerment via self-acceptance and redefining what it means to be lovely on their phrases.

Jahylin Elizabeth 

“Listening to “You appear to be your daddy” had an attention-grabbing impression on my life as a result of I’ve at all times had small ears, similar to my dad. I didn’t understand this till I bought older and would typically get teased for my little ears or hate carrying headphones. However as I’ve grown up, I’ve discovered to take pleasure on this shared trait with my father. 

Once we would have household gatherings, earlier than I might even say my identify, relations would robotically say “Yep, that’s Robert’s child!” At first this bothered me, however over time I got here to embrace it as a result of my dad was my superhero rising up. Understanding I resembled this unbelievable man who meant a lot to me reworked my perspective. Now, I beam with pleasure once I hear these phrases, grateful to share this seen connection to my superb father who has formed me in so some ways, in and out.”

Ashley Nicole

“My mother at all times tells me this story, once I was a child, my cousin and I had been in the identical room, one of many neighbors came visiting and stated “that is Terraine’s child, she seems precisely like him”  I used to be about one or two months outdated. Now as an grownup I appear to be each of my dad and mom. However once I’m in the identical room as my dad, you may inform, “that is nonetheless Terraine’s child” particularly in terms of our noses. Rising up I take advantage of to be so insecure about it, however now? I LOVE my nostril and I’ve absolutely embraced it. It runs within the household, my siblings and I all have it due to our dad, and I would not have it some other approach! Glad Father’s Day, Dad❤️”

Larissa Muehleder

“I as soon as informed my dad I wished to be a mannequin. I will need to have been 12 and his response was, “With a face like mine?” I undoubtedly didn’t assume I used to be lovely. “She has a face like her dad.” My mother and her sisters used to say it on a regular basis. I’ve by no means actually thought of the way it affected me however now that I look again, I need to admit, that’s most likely why I’ve such an awesome character. I by no means thought I used to be lovely. Even now I shock myself in a passing mirror on a regular basis. It’s like I’m simply seeing myself for the primary time.”

Whitney Michel

“I beloved listening to that I regarded like my father my rising up. Even when my mom says she says it it makes me proud. Like wow, I’ve been made within the picture of this good-looking man who can also be a inventive (the primary inventive I knew existed), who got here to America understanding nothing about this nation and is simply good. Resembling him offers me goal and jogs my memory that I’m a part of a good looking story meaning one thing.”

Spirit Sahriel 

“Rising up and listening to that I regarded like my father was such a praise to me! My dad was like my favourite individual. He was enjoyable and humorous and cared about trend. He at all times made individuals chuckle, so listening to that I regarded like him as a little bit woman made me really feel like I had those self same qualities!”

Tritima

“I at all times heard “You’re the precise carbon copy of your father,” rising up and I by no means paid a lot consideration to it (I imply, it’s true), till years down the road when it began to sound extra like a field to put me in than a benign statement. At occasions, it feels as if by being a bodily manifestation of him, I’ve to stroll in his very same footsteps and it’s taken quite a lot of bravery (and remedy) to begin to carve out my very own path.”

Hellen

“Rising up I’d at all times been informed I regarded like my Dad by household mates and I didn’t see the resemblance till I used to be about 13/14years outdated. We’d simply had household pictures taken for my dad and mom Anniversary and for the primary time it actually struck me how a lot I regarded like him. I had his eyes, his nostril and his smile (earlier than the braces) and I simply felt proud and a way of belonging. I believe in that second, it reaffirmed to my household heritage and my identification. Being born in Kenya, however rising up within the UK within the 90s, regardless of being a part of a really numerous and close-knit African neighborhood, apart from our VHS tape of Brandy as Cinderella and SisterSister on cable TV, I didn’t see a lot black illustration. However every time somebody requested me if I used to be Pastor Njagi’s daughter I proudly stated sure, as a result of I knew I used to be a product of the arduous work and sacrifices my dad and mom and my grandparents made. I’m truly named after my Dad’s Mother, who he additionally seems similar to. Along with being the household matriarch and a neighborhood chief all through her life, she was a Mau Mau Freedom Fighter throughout Kenya’s struggle for independence, and was the rationale our household secured the land my Dad and his brothers grew up on. “

Brittney Oliver

“I can vividly bear in mind faces scrunching as individuals regarded me within the eye and informed me that I regarded like my dad. Again then I did not actually know tips on how to really feel, however I knew I would favor to appear to be a girl and my late mother is essentially the most attractive individual that I’ve ever recognized so in fact I wished to appear to be her.

Now that I am older, I am high-quality with trying like my dad. The Oliver genes are robust, in order that additionally means I appear to be my aunts, too and I see that increasingly more as I age. However to have recognized my mother is to know that components of her shine via. One of the best a part of her that I did get was her smile.”

Aliyah

“Listening to that I regarded like my dad rising up, I undoubtedly wasn’t comfortable about it. Even when standing beside him, I believed it meant that I regarded manly to individuals. It’s even arduous to inform pictures of me and my older brother aside once we had been youngsters as a result of we glance a lot like one another and a lot like him. As I bought older, the options I resented in my teenage years had been all him: my nostril, my scowl, even the slant of my eyes. However I grew into my includes a bit extra and now I embrace it—good relationship or not, I like understanding that half of my household historical past is actually written on my face.”