My Take on 'Dark Girls' and Colorism

By Uloop Archives on June 24, 2013

We’ve been fed a lie. It’s the lie which perpetuates the notion that a lighter skin complexion denotes greater beauty. Discrimination based on skin color, known as colorism, is a form of prejudice, in which a person is treated differently based on the social meanings associated with a certain skin color. Unlike racism, who attacks from the outside, colorism is layered within the black community.

Those of us who are aware of the deceitful way in which colorism functions in our lives are able to recognize such an idea was introduced and enforced since childhood. It’s evident in the media, our education system, and among many households.

Light skin is encouraged. “The closer you are to white, the smarter and prettier you are.”

False claims like this are often re-inforced. They may not be outwardly or explicitly shared, but through the positive and intelligent portrayal of light-skinned individuals, compared to those of a darker hue, humans are subconsciously trained to believe such a thing.

Dark skin is given very little credit. It’s associated with being dirty, filthy, and is often demonized.

I read the Shakespeare play Othello in high school, and I distinctly remember how much the other characters would slam O for having darker skin. He was referred to as “thick-lips” (1.1.61) and a “barbary horse” (1.1.106); a black devil whose name was “begrimed and black as [his] own face” (3.3.54). He murdered the delicate, innocent, and pure, white Desdemona. 

Go to the check out line at the grocery store. As you look at the magazines, count how many dark-skinned women you see. Find a few magazines in your house. Now, flip through the pages, and again, count how many dark-skinned women there are. How do they look? Do they resemble any stereotypes?

Then turn on your TV. Flip through the channels, and count how many dark-skinned women that are not only positively portrayed, but also serve as the lead role. Now, compare that to the lighter-skinned women.

Having trouble? Exactly.

Dark-skinned people are rarely represented on television and main stream products. When they are, they’re not always the best representation. It feeds into the minds of young children of all races that to be black is to be uneducated, ratchet, ghetto, and/or dumb. It’s a vicious repercussion that hasn’t gone away.

On Sunday, June 23, The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) aired the bitterly-truthful, two-year-old documentary Dark Girlsthe much anticipated film that explores the tumultuous experiences dark-skinned women face in America, and all over the world. It seeks to discover where deeply rooted attitudes and prejudices regarding skin color stem from, both within and outside the black community. Furthermore, it educates viewers on better ways to cope with such a troubling reality, and how to better humankind to see all colors as beautiful.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally see this. I had heard about the independent film in 2011 when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, but unfortunately, I could not hop on a plane and fly to Canada.

Director and Producer D. Chansin Berry and Bill Duke compiled a series of interviews to heighten the awareness of dark-skinned women being ostracized by members of their own race and the main stream world. Light and dark-skinned black women, light and dark-skinned black males, and members of other racial and ethnic groups were interviewed to offer multiple perspectives on such a disturbing issue.

Tears were shed, burdens were lifted, and wounds from previous traumas re-opened as dark-skinned black women of all ages came forth and shared their stories of dealing with discrimination, bullying, and harassment from both whites and lighter-skinned blacks.

Discussions on “good hair” –  the closer a texture can get to resembling white hair, “the paper bag test” – discrimination based on skin color, where skin lighter than a paper bag is considered beautiful and smart, bleaching – black girls applying creams or editing themselves in order to have lighter skin, and the deep colonial wounds alongside the legacy of slavery were shared. Beyoncé’s previous L’OREAL ads were also discussed.

The documentary made me re-consider the power and function of imagery and how it shapes colorism. A lot of people think slavery has no effect on us today, when in reality, it still does. Colorism is a direct effect from 300 years of enslavement.

A woman broke down the relationship between black women in America and beauty exceptionally well. As slaves, blacks weren’t considered human, so being considered ‘beautiful’ was out of the question. From 1619 when the slave trade was deliberately set in motion, to 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was passed, blacks were either property or second class citizens. That’s a large chunk of time. From 1966 until now, an even smaller chunk of time, blacks have been considered equal to whites in the eyes of the law. However, the appreciation of dark-skinned women socially has yet to improve.

The perception of dark-skinned women is still poorly defined. We aren’t represented nearly as much as lighter-skinned women. Very little is a dark-skinned woman openly considered ‘attractive,’ ‘beautiful,’ or ‘hot’ in both casual conversation and in a formal setting. And no, the “You’re pretty…for a black/dark-skinned girl” does not count. It suggests dark-skinned women are for the most part unattractive.

It was reported in Dark Girls that when it comes to marriage, “African American women are the least coupled group in the United States.”

Frankly, this really brought me down. As a member of this group, I recognize how true this is at such a young age. It’s not very often dark-skinned women are publicly celebrated and fairly projected by both blacks and whites.

A young woman then confessed, “If I had been a couple shades lighter…I probably would have had more luck with guys.”

I often feel the same way. It’s sad, really, especially when my family takes pride in being black. Growing up, my parents would have me read JET and EBONY - magazines that featured black men and women, but I would refuse, choosing to read TEEN PEOPLE and COSMO GIRL instead. Magazines and television that featured white and light-skinned people was what I was mostly exposed to; it was always in my face and what most white kids around me were into. At a young age, I grew accustomed to believing being as close to white as I possibly could would mean I was beautiful. If it also meant relaxing my hair to look straight and silky, so be it.

A study from the documentary showed 7 out of 10 black women feel they don’t measure up to beauty standards because of their skin complexion. From this, I will argue that the majority of dark-skinned girls have lower self-esteem compared to white and light-skinned women because the print and televised media subconsciously teaches us light is better. We’re taught white is clean and pure; black is sinister and evil; day is bright and beautiful, night is black, dark, and scary.

As Chansin Berry says, “The skin issue is a discussion we all need to have once and for all…so we can eradicate it.”

I couldn’t agree with him more.

For dark-skinned women to heal, we need others to acknowledge our struggle. If possible, to even understand how our self-esteem struggle is arguably worse. This documentary is only an introduction to the larger conversation at hand. It requires us to reshape our mindset on color and learn to love and appreciate one another, dark or not.

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