(10) COLORISM: THE POWER OF MIRRORS
Colorism is the prejudice toward/discrimination against individuals based on skin tone, often, but not always, resulting in a preference for those with lighter skin at the expense of those whose skin is darker. Despite being relevant to various races including Blacks, Northeast and Southeast Asians, Native Americans, and Hispanics, it can be difficult to confront because it forces us minorities to reevaluate how we think about racial bias. It means minorities must realize the role we can play in perpetuating the same discriminatory ideals and values that others can direct at us. I will make more comics to address this issue, but this essay will discuss colorism in the Black community.
Colorism for Black Americans originates from slavery and is an example of how the legacy of it, racism, and White privilege can affect us today. As a result of rape by White slave owners and interracial relationships, slaves began to emerge in the variety of skin tones we see today. It is common knowledge that slaves with lighter skin were often kept in doors (house slaves), while those darker had the more laborious task of working the fields (field slaves). This divide happened for several reasons. Slaves with lighter skin were more White-like and considered more intelligent/human. But most importantly, it was done to intentionally pit the slaves against each other, making them easier to control.
After slavery ended, when lynch mobs emerged, lighter-skinned Blacks were less likely to be attacked than those darker. Lighter skin, though its own burden in regard to sexual assault, harassment, and one’s ethnic identity, also offered a protection from the deadlier forms of discrimination. This in turn reinforced the preference for lighter skin amongst the Black community, reinforcing the skin divide that still exists today in a lesser degree.
Part of the reason it is still perpetuated is because of how subtle the issue is. Even when I read the formal definition of colorism I didn’t understand it or how it affected me until I realized I hated getting darker during the summer or that I felt prettier during the winter when I was lighter. I recalled how my classmates and I would tease a boy relentlessly because his skin was dark, while always saying how pretty the girl who was lighter than us was.
Today I see it manifest itself in other ways. When I listen to rap music, I hear the artists talk about their desire for light-skinned girls. I look at award shows dedicated to Black actors and actresses and see that the majority of those sitting in the crowd are light. Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong'o are the exceptions; they aren’t considered a part of the norm. I do not believe that this trend exists because of intentional discrimination, but because of a subconscious bias that we unintentionally perpetuate. This includes our preferences for romantic others reflected by the tendency to prefer partners with lighter skin.
Colorism’s continued presence is due to a combination of slavery’s legacy and the natural desire all humans have to follow social norms. The latter is an even more subtle example of majority privilege. Because White people are the majority race in a country that mirrors the beauty trends in Europe, also a predominantly White area, White features are considered the norm and therefore the standard of beauty: straight, lighter hair, colorful eyes, slender builds, and lighter skin. Though racial bias and sometimes overt racism influence this decision, some could argue that this beauty standard logically makes since. I’m not here to say whether or not this is true, nor am I blaming White people for being the racial majority here, but simply explaining how this can influence colorism.
Black people, like any individual, naturally want to be a part of the larger community, and this means trying to fit this societal norm/standard of beauty that has been set before them. This means having/wanting lighter skin, feeling inadequate if one doesn’t, or having others force this preference upon them. For example, in Lesedi’s case, while she never expressed a desire for lighter skin, Cam-ron refused to show interest in her because her skin was not light.
Anyone who is familiar with peer pressure can to relate to this, but colorism is much more pervasive than a teen tempted to smoke cigars or a girl being denied the purse all her friends have because she’s too young. This pressure is felt from peers, significant others, the media, family, and the majority culture at large, amplified by it’s negative historical roots. The fact that it is an issue perpetuated both by the outside group, the majority culture (not always intentionally) and those within the Black community, a source of expected support, makes it more difficult to confront. As an example, if a child is being bullied by their classmates, though it may be terrible, they may find comfort from their family. But what if the child is being bullied by their classmates, friends, and family? The latter situation is often the case with colorism.
The consequences of this pressure leads its perpetuators, victims, and those who are both (as is the case with Cam-ron) to inadvertently perpetuate the same racial biases that we as a society are trying to move past, and it is also the reason it is so difficult to face. It forces the individual, the person who has dealt with racial bias their entire life to confront the fact that they may also be afflicting the same damaging beliefs on others.
It is an issue that we need to find ways to resolve. One of the best solutions I’ve discovered is to take responsibility for how I can at times contribute to this problem. For example, I realized I, like many Black artists, had a tendency to only include characters with relatively light skin. Once I saw that, I began to change it. If I reflexively think a person is attractive I pause and evaluate why. Is it because they’re genuinely attractive or only because their skin and eyes are lighter than mine? If I reflexively think a person is unattractive, I ask if it is because I genuinely find them unattractive or because their skin is darker? If I can truthfully say it’s the latter reason I reevaluate how I feel.
After all, it is a natural tendency for us to internalize the beliefs around us. Colorism is an issue that has existed for a very long time in our country and for longer throughout the world. The fact that you may reflexively attribute more positive traits to one shade than another isn’t something you can always control. It is when we deny the existence of those impulses or intentionally reinforce them that it becomes a problem. Evaluation and self awareness rather than deflecting blame are the keys to resolving this issue because we are all a part of the problem. The beauty is that, as is the case with Aubrey and Lesedi, we can also all be a part of the solution.