One of the saddest things I have ever heard was a young girl, roughly around the age of six, tell her parents she wasn’t pretty enough. When her parents asked why she went on to explain saying “because I am too dark.” This is a common occurrence in the black community, and it is not okay. Colorism is an actual thing and it is hurting a community that has faced decades of similar treatment. Colorism is defined as prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Anyone in the black community should not feel better than or lesser than because the amount of melanin in their skin.
I strongly believe media plays a huge role in this idea that people who are lighter skinned are more beautiful. Social media is where the modern ideal for beauty is derived from. If all people see are girls with perfect make-up populating their feeds, they will soon believe those girls are the standards of beauty. There are even skin lightening creams that people can buy to make their skin lighter. But what is so wrong with loving the skin you are born with?
Colorism has spun out of control to the point where people believe it is okay to point out someone’s skin tone. With comments like, “you are pretty for a dark girl” or “I only like light skinned guys” it makes it hard for people to ignore something they were born with. And when you look into the comments, what are people actually saying? It seems to me they are saying the white in you is what makes you beautiful, and just being you isn’t enough.
There have been studies on the matter and one stands out in particular.
A 2006 University of Georgia study showed that employers prefer light-skinned black men to dark-skinned men, regardless of their qualifications. They found that a light-skinned black man can have only a Bachelor’s degree and typical work experience and still be preferred over a dark-skinned black man with an MBA and past managerial positions,” said Matthew S. Harrison in 2006, then a doctoral student in applied industrial organizational psychology at Georgia.
This shows that not only is colorism a problem in terms of self-perception, but it has actual physical examples of it happening.
I am not saying everyone sees the difference in skin tones. To me beauty goes beyond race or the physical and truly depends on the character of the person. For a community that was enslaved for centuries and fought against discrimination,there should not be further discrimination within.
Ultimately, the black community should stand together and not separate. Whether someone is lighter or darker, we all share similar struggles and a rich history.
I think media should stop cast typing and embrace the diversity in the world. In one sense, I am happy to see actors like Mike Colter, who plays Luke Cage on Netflix, be featured as the hero in a television series. As opposed to the villain which darker skinned people often find themselves in. However, it is hard to be completely happy about the emerging diversity in the mainstream because it should have been like that all along.
As children we never saw skin color. But, we were taught to see different skin tones. We were taught to see differences in others and we were taught to judge. Now it is time to be taught how to connect and embrace.
It is important within the community to stop looking at skin color and appreciate the beauty among a diverse, strong and resilient people.
fieldsbj14@bonaventure.edu
