observingcolorism-blog

[observingcolorism-blog]

Introduction To My Project

Author: Justice

Age: 17

Area: NYC

When I first started this project, my initial question was “Why is lighter skin favored over darker skin in the black community?” And while researching and observing the people around me, I realize this is something that isn’t just a preference towards who we date, but something that affects black people in all aspects of life. Colorism has about the same effect that racism does. But what makes it worse is the fact it stems from people who look just like you.

I chose colorism as the topic of my project because it is something that affects not only me but the people around me on a daily basis. Growing up in a world where social media has taken over, it has become almost second nature to see something on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. talking about how “dark skin girls are ugly,” and “light skins are winning” or vice versa.

And as a darker skinned teenage girl, I am affected by these ideals on a daily basis. There are stereotypes about the type of person I am and how I behave, and how bad my attitude probably is. I also know that lighter skinned people are also subjected to these kinds of ideas but to a lesser degree. But that doesn’t diminish the effect it has on anyone.

Colorism is the one reality that is often ignored, especially in the black community. It is assumed because black people “can’t be racist,” we can’t also discriminate against our own people. Colorism is as dangerous as racism, as it creates a hierarchy, but within a racial group. This leads to stereotyping and competition between people who should be supporting each other, which I see happening a lot within my own racial community.

This blog will highlight certain aspects that colorism plays a role in, as well as social media examples, and interviews with some of my closest friends about their experiences with colorism. This isn’t meant to offend but meant to serve as a social commentary. I hope you enjoy and learn something new.

[observingcolorism-blog]

Roots of Colorism

Source: National Burial Database of Enslaved Americans (http://www.openculture.com/2016/05/new-crowdsourced-database-will-locate-the-burial-sites-of-forgotten-us-slaves.html)

When thinking about the root of colorism, it is easy to say slavery is the reason. But why is it that lighter skin is more favored over darker skin? How was this ideology determined? And why does it still plague us to this day? The answer is simply white hierarchy. See, even before slavery, white skin was seen as pure/more favorable. Having European features was considered the most desirable.

So now we come to slavery, and these ideologies are still in place. Now in America, white skin was seen as the “right skin.” When Africans were brought over from Africa, they were automatically seen as inferior because of their skin color. There were many tactics used to make sure that the slaves being brought to America didn’t try to rebel. Slaveowners would keep slaves that spoke the same language away from each other so they couldn’t rise up. They would separate slaves based on skin color (light vs. dark), age, gender, and anything else they could use to keep the slaves separated. It is believed that the famous speech by Willie Lynch in 1712 was where these ideas came from. He stated that slaveowners could control African Americans for the next “300 years,” just by dividing us based on things like skin shade. Even though this would make a lot of sense why this is still affecting us to this day, it is believed this speech is not real and just a ploy used to blame for why African Americans today are still divided over skin shade. But that doesn’t mean this speech hasn’t left a lasting impact on black people to this day.

During slavery, this was implemented by which slaves did what type of work. Slaves with lighter skin would be used for house work like taking care of the children and having direct access to the family. Slaves with darker skin would work on the field and pick cotton and take care of the fields. This led to the notion that lighter skin was more desirable over darker skin. Another key piece in this is the rapes of many African American women during this period. They would be assaulted by the white man of the house, and the result would be a child with a lighter skin shade, referred to as a “mulatto.” These children were still seen as slaves, since they took the status of their mother, but they were treated differently in regards to their darker counterparts. Their punishments were less harsh, and they were seen to closely resemble white people. In the future, this allowed for lighter skinned people to be more likely to be hired, get better education, and higher social statuses. But these lighter skinned people were still not fully accepted in white society, simply because of the “one-drop rule” that states someone is black if they have any trace of black ancestry. Lighter skinned black people would not procreate with darker skinned people to keep up with their social status, inevitably leading to the feeling of superiority.

Eventually, many black churches and social groups would implement tests to determine if someone could enter their group. One of these tests include the brown paper bag test, where someone had to be lighter than the paper bag in order to be administered in that group. Another test was the blue vein test, where in order to be in that group, the person’s skin color had to be light enough so their veins could be seen through their skin. There was also the “comb” test, where the person had to run a fine tooth comb through their hair to see if they had “good” hair.

These principles put in place hundreds of years ago still affect the black community today. But now it takes a few different forms. Colorism and the things posted social media, jobs available, and social interactions can combine to affect black people everyday.

[observingcolorism-blog]

Colorism in Relationships

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/kessymasidi972/lewis/ 

I think colorism is most evident when it comes to relationships. As a darker skinned black teenage girl living in this society, I, as long as other girls like me are exposed to constant movies, tv shows, and internet posts about how lighter skin is the better skin and how SOME black men don’t like dark skin girls for reasons that to me, make little to no sense. And it’s not just that they may find dark skin girls unattractive, but they insult us in the process of explaining their preference for lighter skinned women, or women from other cultures. 

This is not to bash black men in particular, or say they all like lighter people or people from other cultures, but as someone in the black community, I tend to be exposed to this a lot more, and see these colorism ideals come from men. But that doesn’t mean women don’t do it as well, because women can also be biased with skin color preferences as well.  

There is also the scary and dangerous mentality that some black people (and evidence of this also happening in Hispanic culture) have where if they have a child with someone who is lighter or from a different ethnicity, then their child will have pretty skin, hair, and eyes. But they fail to realize their child will still be black with black features and profiled as a black person. 

But where did these ideals come from in the first place. According to ColorismHealing.org, preferences aren’t simply biological or emotional, but also societal. This can also be related to the whole nature vs. nurture ideal. We are shaped by the environment around us, and living in a society that constantly pushes the Eurocentric beauty ideal, then it makes sense that the idea “lighter is better” will eventually become a permanent mindset to some people. Colorism in relationships also has deep roots in its history. As stated before, lighter skinned people were believed to almost resemble white people. They were seen as poised and respected, while darker skin was seen as dangerous and threatening. So now in modern times and relationships, lighter skinned partners are seen as more desirable and attractive. 

There is also the misconception between a preference and blatant colorist attitudes. Saying you only date a certain skin tone is basically saying that you would turn down someone with compelling personality traits just because of their skin tone. It is okay to have a preference, but the problems arise when people are turned down because of stereotypes about their skin tone based on how they look/act. 

And when it comes to dark skinned women in other cultures (Africa, Asia, etc), people go as far as to tell them they will never get married or find a husband because of their darker complexion. ColorismHealing.org states:

If you can’t express your so called “preference” without demeaning other people, then it’s not merely a “preference,” it’s actually prejudice. If racist stereotypes aren’t cool with you, then colorist stereotypes shouldn’t be either. And it does not matter if the person claims it’s “just a joke.” It’s still colorism.

This isn’t to say that people can’t have preferences to who they choose to date, by all means, date who you want. But it becomes a problem when certain skin colors or races are being bashed to prove why you like a certain phenotype. 

[observingcolorism-blog]

Media Examples

As I teenager myself, I tend to use social media a lot. One social site I like to use is Facebook. And Facebook is where all the examples above come from. Social media is one of the most beneficial things around right now, and of course, all good things have their flaws. Social sites like this allow people like the ones above to post hateful and demeaning content with the intent to offend. These are all statuses that I have come across just from scrolling down my newsfeed. And to show how toxic colorism is, these were all posted by black people. So not only are these statuses being posted for the public to see but also by people in the same racial group that they are mocking. It’s also important to point out that the majority of people who post about darksins are darkskin themselves, showing that colorism isn’t just discrimination against others that look different from you, but also towards people who look just like you, which is really just self hate. And there aren’t only ones making fun of darksins, I have also come across one post that pertained to lightskins: 

This is not to say light-skinned people don’t face their own colorism struggles, but it is clear it is not as prevalent. There are probably several posts out there that make fun of light skinned people, but the chances of running into any are significantly lower than seeing social media post making fun of dark skinned people. And the ones speaking about darkskins got thousands of shares, which enables this hateful mentality to spread. It is important to look out for posts as these and see these are just people who seem to possess an underlying self hate, and posts about people that look similar to them to deflect the attention away from themselves. 

[observingcolorism-blog]

Interview #6

Name: Jylen

Age: 16

Area: Harlem, NYC

Do you know what colorism is? Yes

If so, how would you define colorism? When you like a certain skin tone more than the other

Do you know where colorism originated from? Yeah, It originated from slavery when light skins were treated better than dark skins

Do you believe colorism exists? Yes because I have seen it myself. My friend had a girlfriend a would say how he couldn’t wait to get himself a lightskin girlfriend.

Have you ever had the desire to change your skin color? No

If so to how would you change it? I wouldn’t

Have you ever seen (or posted) something on social media regarding skin shade in the  minority community? Yes

Can you describe what your ideal partner would look like physically? I have no preference

Have you ever turned someone down because of the shade of their skin? No

Has someone ever turned you down because of the shade of your skin? Not that I’m aware of, but there’s a stereotype that light skins are “hollywood”

What are your views on interracial relationships? I think they are okay

Have you ever been made fun of because of the color of your skin? I’ve been called yellow

Have you ever made fun of someone because of the color of their skin? Yeah but it was jokes between me and my friends

Have your parents ever discussed your skin color with you? Yeah, they discuss race, even though I’m lighter I still have to watch out and be aware of myself

Do you believe in light skin privilege? Yes because in the past, there was color passing, and people who were lighter were usually accepted more

Do you believe in dark skin privilege? I guess they can have privilege but I can’t think of anything really.

What gender do you believe colorism pertains to the most? Women because boys don’t care as much, but women try to look their best, and if someone insults their skin than it can affect the way they see themselves.  

Are you comfortable with the color of your skin? Yes

Do you have a preference regarding lighter or darker skin? It really depends on the girl, not her skin tone

Any personal experiences/stories? No

[observingcolorism-blog]

Interview #5 (nick)

Name: Nick

Age: 16

Area: CT

Do you know what colorism is? Yes

What do you think of when you hear the word colorism? Skin color

Do you know where colorism originated from? No

Do you believe colorism exists? Yes

Have you ever had the desire to change your skin color? No

Have you ever seen (or posted) something on social media regarding skin shade in the minority community? I hear some of my friends say how they don’t like certain races, but not specifically skin shade

Can you describe what your ideal partner would look like physically? I personally have no preference

Have you ever turned someone down because of the shade of their skin? No

Has someone ever turned you down because of the shade of your skin? No, not that I know of

What are your views on interracial relationships? I support them

Have you ever been made fun of because of the color of your skin? No 

Have you ever made fun of someone because of the color of their skin? No

Have your parents ever discussed your skin color with you? Yeah, they remind me that black people get treated differently and I can’t just do and say anything I want

Do you believe in light skin privilege? Yes

Do you believe in dark skin privilege? Yes

What gender do you believe colorism pertains to the most? Men because they are the ones who are put in more dangerous situations

Are you comfortable with the color of your skin? Yes

Do you have a preference regarding lighter or darker skin? No preference 

Any personal experiences/stories? None 

[observingcolorism-blog]

Interview #4

Name: Nia 

Age: 16

Area: Mount Vernon, NY 

Do you know what colorism is?

Yes 

If so, how would you define colorism? Tension between people in the black community based on skin color

Do you believe colorism exists? Yes

Have you ever felt the desire to change your skin color? For acne purposes but not because I ever hated my skin color

Has social media played a role in how you perceive yourself? Yes, a lot of posts about preference towards light skin. And sometimes I don’t care, but boys tend to actually prefer lighter skin.

Have you ever seen  (or posted) something on social media regarding skin shade in the minority community? Yes

Have you ever been made fun of because of the color of your skin? No

Have you ever made fun of someone because of the color of their skin? No

Have your parents ever discussed your skin color with you? We are aware of our skin difference in our family, but not in a negative way. More for awareness

Do you believe in light skin privilege? Yes

Do you believe in dark skin privilege? No

Has someone ever turned you down because of the shade of your skin? No, and if it was because of my skin shade it was never verbally said.

What are your views on interracial relationships? Part of me thinks its weird sometimes because there are some conversations that can’t be had in a white and black marriage. The child might always be confused on which culture they relate to more.

What gender do you believe colorism pertains to the most? Both men and women.

Are you comfortable with the color of your skin? Yes

Do you have a preference regarding lighter or darker skin? I don’t think so. It depends on who I meet. I have liked a range of different people

Have you ever felt discriminated against because of the color of your skin within your racial community? Because I am more in the middle of light and dark skin, I never felt directly attacked.

Any personal experiences/stories? No

[observingcolorism-blog]

Interview #3

Name: Fatou 

Age:16

Area: NJ

Do you know what colorism is?

Yes

If so, how would you define colorism? Prejudice against someone because of the color of their skin

Do you know where colorism originated from? Slavery

Do you believe colorism exists? Yes

Have you ever felt the desire to change your skin color? When I was younger, but not anymore

Has social media played a role in how you perceive yourself? Yes

Have you ever seen  (or posted) something on social media regarding skin shade in the minority community? Yes

Have you ever been made fun of because of the color of your skin? Yes

Have you ever made fun of someone because of the color of their skin?Yes, but it was my siblings

Have your parents ever discussed your skin color with you? Yes

Do you believe in light skin privilege? Yes

Do you believe in dark skin privilege? No

Has someone ever turned you down because of the shade of your skin? Yes

What are your views on interracial relationships? I support it

What gender do you believe colorism pertains to the most? Women

Are you comfortable with the color of your skin? Yes

Do you have a preference regarding lighter or darker skin? No

Have you ever felt discriminated against because of the color of your skin within your racial community? Yes

Any personal experiences/stories? I was in France, and we were in a restaurant and these African guys tried to get my friend and me to leave the store to talk to them, and the server (who was from the Middle East) said to not talk to Africans but said he trusted me even though I was African

[observingcolorism-blog]

Interview #2

Name: Kai

Age: 16

Area: Bronx, NY

Do you know what colorism is?

Yes

If so, how would you define colorism? A preference for lighter skin over darker skin

Do you know where colorism originated from? Slavery.

Do you believe colorism exists? Yes, I think it exists in almost every culture from America, Asia, to Latin America.   

Have you ever felt the desire to change your skin color? No

Has social media played a role in how you perceive yourself? Yeah. Especially when I see posts about how Spanish/light skin girls are preferred among black boys.

Have you ever seen (or posted) something on social media regarding skin shade in the minority community? Yes

Have you ever been made fun of because of the color of your skin? Not often, but common jokes, like when the lights go out and someone says “Where’d she go?”

Have you ever made fun of someone because of the color of their skin? No

Have your parents ever discussed your skin color with you? Yeah, my parents both remind me what it means to be darker in America and how you have to present yourself.

Do you believe in light skin privilege? Yeah

Do you believe in dark skin privilege? No

Has someone ever turned you down because of the shade of your skin? No, but I believe people have preferences and they wouldn’t even consider dating someone my shade or darker

What are your views on interracial relationships? I think they add another challenge to the relationship, but it can work out, but I also think if you are in an interracial relationship and want kids, then you need to talk to your kids about both cultures.

What gender do you believe colorism pertains to the most? I think it's in both but more aggressive in men because it puts their lives in danger  

Are you comfortable with the color of your skin? Yeah

Do you have a preference regarding lighter or darker skin? I think I have a slight preference for light/brown skins.

Have you ever felt discriminated against because of the color of your skin within your racial community? Yes

Any personal experiences/stories? Someone made me question my self-esteem because they said they normally wouldn’t be with someone my color and it made me insecure about it for the first time.

[observingcolorism-blog]

Interview #1

Name: Sophie 

Age: 16

Area: Westchester, NY 

Do you know what colorism is? Yes

If so, how would you define colorism? Discriminating someone based on skin color

Do you know where colorism originated from? No

Do you believe colorism exists? Yes

Have you ever felt the desire to change your skin color? Yes

Has social media played a role in how you perceive yourself? Yes

Have you ever seen (or posted) something on social media regarding skin shade in the minority community? Yes

Have you ever been made fun of because of the color of your skin? Yes

Have you ever made fun of someone because of the color of their skin? Yes

Have your parents ever discussed your skin color with you? No

Do you believe in light skin privilege? Yes

Do you believe in dark skin privilege? No

Has someone ever turned you down because of the shade of your skin? Yes

What are your views on interracial relationships? I think they are great

What gender do you believe colorism pertains to the most? Women

Are you comfortable with the color of your skin? Yeah sure

Do you have a preference regarding lighter or darker skin? Yes, lighter

Have you ever felt discriminated against because of the color of your skin within your racial community? No

Any personal experiences/stories? In lower school I was bullied for being black at a private mostly white school

[observingcolorism-blog]

Skin Bleaching

Source: https://colorismhealing.org/skin-bleaching-around-world/

Skin bleaching has been a controversial topic for many years. For some, it is used to lighten dark spots on the face/body, which makes sense if you suffer from acne marks or something of the sort. But for others, it is used as a way to treat some sort of underlying self-hate. Now everyone is allowed to live their life the way they want to, but why is it that so many people, specifically black and African Americans, resort to skin bleaching as the solution to their problems. This could be answered by taking a look at where skin bleaching practices are most common. 

Skin bleaching holds significant prevalence in areas like the Caribbean and Africa, where slavery and white hierarchy have deep roots. A study was done in 2013 by the University of Cape Town that came to the conclusion that 1 in 3 women in South Africa bleaches their skin. And their reasoning is very straightforward. They simply want white skin. But a lot of people in Africa don’t know the dangers of these skin lightening creams and continue to use them frequently. 

There are not only the psychological dangers of bleaching one’s skin, there are also the physical dangers. Skin bleaching creams contain several chemicals such as mercury, corticosteroids, and hydroquinone, which with consistent exposure to the skin can lead to many complications, like kidney failure, bacterial/fungal infections, and a dangerous skin condition known as ochronosis, a form of hyper-pigmentation which causes the skin to turn a dark purple shade. 

But where did the practice of skin lightening originate? Well, skin lightening began in Europe where Queen Elizabeth I wanted to appear as a “ghostly white.” This created the “Elizabethan ideal of beauty.” The whiter one’s skin was, the more beautiful they seemed. As Europeans began to colonize other parts of the world, these ideologies followed them. Darkness was seen as ugly, promiscuous, and dangerous, while lighter skin was seen as safe, beautiful, and pure. So to escape the discrimination from having darker skin, people all around the world would find ways to lighten their skin to gain this “light skin privilege.” 

So now we see how skin lightening has become such a huge trend, and the social connotations behind it as. Skin bleaching has become a movement that many people participate in for many different reasons, but the main one is to obtain lighter skin. It is not only dangerous for your health but can lead to several self-esteem issues as well. 

Sources:

-http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-20444798

-https://www.saferskinwhitening.com/skin-whitening-history/skin-whitening-history-white-means-noble/ 

[observingcolorism-blog]

Freaky Friday- Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown

Chris Brown and Lil Dicky 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZla1ttZHaw (Link to the music video)

Initially, when including examples of colorism in the black community, I had no intention of including song lyrics in this project, mainly because I would be sitting here all day with all the songs I could include. But one song, in particular, stuck out to me, and I’m pretty sure quite a few people are familiar with it since it blew up so fast. 

The song Freaky Friday by Lil Dicky features Chris Brown, where they switch bodies and live the other person’s life. And yes, this is just like the movie Freaky Friday with Lindsey Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis that we all know. In the video, Lil Dicky expresses concern with his boring lifestyle and how he wishes he could be someone else with a more exciting lifestyle. At the same time, Chris Brown is seen on the television expressing how he is overwhelmed with stardom and wishes he could also be someone else. Fast forward, and they wake up in each other’s bodies, and the video continues from there. 

It may seem like a music video like this has nothing to do with colorism. And in many cases, it doesn’t. But there is one line in the song that grabbed my attention the minute I heard it. It goes, “I drive his Ferrari and I’m light-skinned black.” This line is included in Chris Brown’s verse when he is actually Lil Dicky trapped in Chris Brown’s body, and he is basically singing about all the perks that come along with being Chris Brown. One of these perks just so happens to be the fact that Chris Brown has a lighter complexion.  

Now it may just be a song, but that line is actually very prevalent. In pop culture, specifically in hip-hop, lighter skinned people tend to be preferred over darker skin. There are many songs, especially rap, where lighter skin is clearly glamorized in most songs. The use of this line in this song validates this ideal. Stating one of the perks of being in Chris Brown’s body is that he is lightskin, meaning there is obviously a benefit of being lightskin over darkskin.  

[observingcolorism-blog]

Natural Hair

Shown Above: Jewellianna Palencia (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdsxL9744JvGyU7ClUc6QSQ)

Colorism and natural hair seem unrelated, and truthfully, before this project, I had never seen anything directly relating the two. But then I started thinking about natural hair and who tends to be the face of the natural hair movement. As someone who wears their natural hair most of the time, I tend to follow natural hair YouTubers, and I usually only pay attention to the people who share my hair type. But the main people who are credited with having natural hair are people with wavier/looser curl patterns, and who also tend to be lightskin. And when a darker skinned person has a looser curl pattern, it is automatically assumed that the person is mixed with something else, to diminish their blackness. 

Darker skinned people with thicker hair and whose hair doesn’t necessarily curl when wet are subjected to their hair being called things like “nappy” or “slave hair.” And people with lighter skin are considered more motherly and Afrocentric if they have thicker hair.  

Even though it isn’t something actively thought about, hair and colorism can coincide to destroy the self-esteem of many African-American people. 

[observingcolorism-blog]

“Midnight Girl” by Marlana Edwards

Midnight is the darkest time of night

When the stars look like miniature suns because of the contrast against the pitch black expanse of the sky

I am a midnight girl

I have skin like pools of milk chocolate

An abundance of hair like onyx wool

Bright eyes like diamonds in a coal mine

Being a midnight girl is not good enough; it never has been

Rappers rap about yellow bones and red bones, but never midnight girls

So boys find beauty in yellow bones and red bones, but never midnight girls

I’ve heard boys say ‘I don’t like dark skinned girls’

And those words shatter my self-esteem every time

And they smash a part of me into a million tiny pieces of raw inadequacy.

I am familiar with the plight of midnight girls of all races with abuelitas and tias who say things like “Mija, no necesitas ir afuera hoy, porque hace sol y ya estas una negrita.”

Which translates roughly to “Baby girl, you don’t need to go outside today because it’s sunny, and you’re already a little blackie”

Darts thrown by those closest to you pierce deeper than darts thrown by anyone else…

[observingcolorism-blog]

Colorism in the Workplace

Source:https://woman.thenest.com/colorism-workplace-22225.html

 In the workplace, colorism can be much more subtle than seen on social media or even with personal interactions. A job won’t verbally turn down somebody because of their skin shade, but they will show favoritism towards lighter African Americans versus their darker counterparts. Psychologist Professor Matthew Harrison states that lighter African Americans are favored in the hiring process and are also more likely to get promotions over their darker counterparts. 

The superiority complex also plays a role in the workplace. The superior mindset some lighter skinned African Americans possess is placed onto people with darker skin, resulting in competition between the two, according to Marita Golden. 

A study was done in 2006 by The University of Georgia, which was presented by doctoral student Matthew Harrison, who came to the conclusion that: 

“...a light-skinned Black male can have only a bachelor’s degree and typical work experience and still be preferred over a dark-skinned Black male with an MBA and past managerial positions, simply because expectations of the light-skinned Black male are much higher, and he doesn’t appear as ‘menacing’ as the darker-skinned male applicant...” 

This tells us that colorism isn’t just a social issue, but also a working issue as well. Stereotypes placed on darker skin causes a much larger issue that is really not talked about.  

Source: http://diverseeducation.com/article/6306/