Speaking about Black issues within the Black community is important as the end of Black History Month is nearing. Colorism, defined as “prejudice or discrimination especially within a racial or ethnic group favoring people with lighter skin over those with darker skin,” is an issue that many races face but is evident in the black community.
The history behind colorism dates back to slavery. Lighter skinned black people worked in the houses and were seen as being suited for domestic work while the darker skinned slaves who were seen as being suited for hard labor worked in the fields. These stereotypes rooted in white supremacy, led to the received idea that light skinned people were “better”. Many years after slavery, lightskinned people were still put on a pedestal, mainly because the proximity to whiteness is what makes being lightskinned an attribute to those who think so.
The reality of being light skinned, whether one wants to admit or not, is that we have representation, and we are uplifted by these stereotypes that have roots in white supremacy.
REPRESENTATION
In the media, light skinned women have always had more success than darker skinned women. Darker skinned women are typically given roles that perpetuate the stereotypes that society gives them. For example, a light skinned woman might play the role of the “attractive”, “smart”, “nice” role while a darker skinned woman might play an “unattractive”, “can’t keep a relationship”, “ratchet” role. An example of this would be Gina and Pam from Martin.
While the Hollywood scene is trying to increase diversity, we still see a great amount of light skinned and mixed race black girls. Within the music industry as well, the rise of darker skinned black women still doesn’t compare to the light skinned girls who don’t have to work as hard to get where they are.
Growing up, I never felt like I did not have representation in both media and music. In the media I had Zendaya, Jurnee Smollett, Cymphonique Miller, and more. In music I had Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and more. These women worked hard and gained their due respect in the industry, but women of darker skin had to put in extra work to be seen as worthy. The current call for representation is still aimed towards darker skinned black girls, which there should be. I never felt like I wasn’t seen growing up or currently. I acknowledge that.
UPLIFTED
With the rise of social media, virtual apps such as VINE and YOUTUBE definitely helped play into stereotypes that caused damaging views on darker skinned black people. Viral videos circulated of lighter skinned people played out stereotypes of being “soft” , “sensitive” and “conceited”, while darker skinned influencers played out stereotypes of being “hard”, “ignorant”, and “unattractive” while using the hashtag #teamdarkskinned versus #teamlightskinned.
Songs would uplift lighter skinned black women. Redbones and yellowbones were mentioned in songs, light skinned video vixens would grace every rapper’s video shoot, and more. Fetishizing light skinned black women/mixed women was and still is very prevalent. This needs to be stopped.
This whole time I could not see how I benefited or at least lacked the experiences that darker skinned black women had to go through since lighter skinned people were being put on a pedestal. I just remember thinking “Well at the end of the day we’re all black.”
Easy for me to say, without any hard feelings because I wasn’t directly affected. I acknowledged that these videos were very toxic, and did nothing but set back the minds of people who couldn’t see that darker skinned people deserve to be respected. Dark skinned black women get the worst end of the stick of colorism and racism in political, social, and personal ways.
Being a light skinned black woman myself, I think it is important for me to touch on my privileges and speak on the toxicity that occurs towards darker skinned black women. I acknowledge my privilege, and hope that more people get educated on this issue.