Growing up my cousins and I were raised together as siblings. There were five of us including my twin brother and myself. Our skin tone ranged from light to dark. My cousin Alisha was raised as the golden child, given that she had naturally long curly hair 3ac 4ab, is racially ambiguous, and has a fair complexion. Her parents home schooled her because she was bullied at school for looks.
Eventually my cousin started to bully me. She would make comments like “guys are attracted to light skin girls”, “All the guys love me because I’m so pretty with pretty hair”, “No one likes dark skin girls”, and “You’re going to have to show your body and boobs to get people’s attention.” Those comments made me think that I’m not pretty, I won’t be accepted, and I began not to care about myself.
I did not see beauty within myself and I believed no one else did because of those comments. I became a tomboy and dressed like a boy. I wore cornrows and my clothes were a couple sizes too big. I went through puberty at a young age and I remember trying to cover up my boobs so no one would know I was a female. I even liked being referred to as a male because I did not have to deal with women’s standards of beauty.
It wasn’t until middle school when I saw that my cousin’s words had implications beyond me; light skin females are seen first and dark skin girls seen second. The other factor was my schoolmates. The “it” girls or popular girls always had light skin, “nice hair”, dressed well and always had guys asking for their numbers. The funny thing was that her side-kicks were always dark-skin girls that were not as well put together as she was. According to there standards, they looked good while she looked great. If she was not available, then they would go to her friends.
Once I went to high school I had a self-revelation. I basically felt that I do not need societal beauty standards inflicted on me in order to consider myself beautiful. I got into makeup, weaves, and wearing form fitting clothing. My issues with skin are still relevant but I became more accepting.
All those hateful comments made me feel contempt. “You’re pretty for a dark skin girl.” “Oh you are dark, and your name is weird. Let me guess, you’re African?” And “She Jamaican? She dirty and her hair like a Brillo pad.” Those comments on my appearance and smell, all associated with my skin tone, made me believe that I have to over-achieve in order to be seen. Beauty standards are color based but they should not be color based. In the words of the philosopher Confucius “Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.” Physical beauty will fade over time but true beauty is timeless. There are advantages to having a dark complexion that can have social and economic benefits. Melanin acts as a natural umbrella and prevents your skin from receiving radiation and skin cancers. Having dark skin causes youthful looking skin and aids in human reproduction. Your attributes, characteristics and personality is what defines you, not your skin. Skin color should not be a defining factor to victimize a person.
I heard of ‘grassroots dc’ on WPFW (i mostly grew up in DC and hence i grew up listening to WPFW radio as well as WOL ). I am not an activist (my ideology is more like fearism –if you see a squirrel running away thats my tribe–we are the runaways and stay aways who live at all times and places in total fear–don’t attack but will bite if threatened and cornered. )
Although in general i am not a fan of comedy (dont have time for that—i stick with sciences) one of my favorite comedians is dave chappelle (i went to one of same schools as he did –ellington ). he has agreat skit (some on youtube ) called ‘the black white supremacist’—not very pc, but its comedy. chappelle i view as being in tradition of richard pryor, redd fox, and lenny bruce.
‘colorism’ is an issue. since i am what might be called ‘caucasian’ (though some caucasians might disagree–i’m partly jewish so for some jews are not caucasians even if they have light colored skin) , i was having a discussion with a local dc person (who would be called african american and fairly dark skinned)—he told me i am an albino–and albinos were genetic mutants kicked out of africa who had to live in european caves. I’ve studied some genetics, so i dont think thats an accurate account of history. (There may be a sliver or more of truth in it).
if you were a ‘white minority’ in DCPS as i was, you would get bullied and worse. alot of this actually is class based . I’ve know light skinned african american (or mixed race) people who were taken out of DCPS because they were bullied.
Hello,
Yes, I agree with your post that colorism affects those of all shades. The main purpose of this article is to exploit the fact that individuals with a darker complexion receive more harassment than their lighter counterparts. A study conducted by Pamela Bennett, an assistant professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University, reported that mixed-race people are socially placed below whites, but ahead of blacks. The study also stated dark-skinned black women are given stiffer prison sentences than their lighter-skinned counterparts. Another study made by the University of Georgia in 2006 reported employers preferred light-skinned black men over dark-skinned men, regardless of their qualifications. In October 2007, a Detroit party promoter even held an event that allowed free admission to light-skinned women only. Lighter skin tones also make their female bearers more likely to marry spouses with higher incomes, report less perceived job discrimination, and earn a higher income. In schools, studies find that teachers expect their lighter-skinned students to display better behavior and higher intelligence than their darker peers, and public health research shows lower rates of mental and physical health problems among lighter-skinned blacks. You discussed Dave Chappelle and I agree with his viewpoints. He explained that there is difference between personal feeling and what’s construct as far as racism is concerned. Dave Chappelle’s very best comedy trades is hypotheticals; through colorful stories and physical humor, the comedian creates vivid alternate realities that make the truths about our own world present. Colorism is an issue that affects everyone but the ones who receive the most backlash are generally those of a darker complexion.