The other day, I was watching an episode of "Blackish" and a great topic was brought up during the show. The topic of colorism was the center of this particular episode. As something prevalent in different cultures around the world, hearing individuals talking about this issue on television was so unheard of.
In the episode of "Blackish", the issue dealt with the twins in the show, Diane and Jack, and their annual class picture. In the show, one twin is a bit lighter-skinned and the other is more of a darker skin tone. In the class picture, the lighter skin twin, Jack, showed up in the picture, while the darker skinned twin, Diane, unfortunately, blended in with the background.
The issue that addressed the topic of colorism was the fact that the school was allowing Diane, the darker skinned twin, to not be seen in the photo. In which struck the issue of colorism and light-skin privilege in the black community. As an individual that uses social media often, the present issue of #teamlightskin and #teamdarksin has been around since the times of slavery.
Around the world, skin bleaching is a multi-million dollar business that has survived for decades. Recently, I visited an East-African store and saw a multitude of skin bleaching products at the front counter guaranteeing everlasting beauty.
Light-skin privilege is something that almost everyone in the Black community has heard of. The aspect of lighter-skin black individuals receiving opportunities that other darker-skinned individuals wouldn't be able to acquire such as jobs, housing, and especially in the entertainment industry. The recurring issue of "light is right" that circulates in the community.
If you grew in a foreign culture, you're obviously aware of what colorism is. The aspect of discrimination ingrained in a particular race. Colorism is quite different than racism, in which members of a race are seen as more superior, in regards to being more fair-toned. Anyone who grew up in an Asian, African, South American or even European culture has dealt with colorism in some form.
As an Ethiopian, there are many different shades of our particular race. In which you might see individuals who look more mixed to individuals with a deeper tone. Growing up Ethiopian, the comments of what's considered "beautiful" is talked about constantly. For as long as I can remember, I've heard darker skinned Ethiopian being looked down upon because of the color of their skin.
As an Ethiopian who would consider themselves as medium-toned has never necessarily dealt with colorism full-force. In all honesty, I can't imagine what individuals of darker skin tones have dealt with. As a woman of color, I've experienced microaggression from fellow counterparts and racist behavior in different forms.
A particular time that I remember viewing colorism as a young woman was hearing the comment that a woman would be much more beautiful lighter-skinned. In my experience, I've seen colorism quite often in the aspect of beauty. In history, the "most" beautiful women are usually lighter-skin.
When black women are considered to be "beautiful" they are usually lighter-skinned women like Halle Berry and Beyoncè. The representation of dark-skin women in the entertainment industry is considerably lacking as the times are changing. Colorism will never truly escape the society that we live in, presently. To take the initiative to slowly resolve the issue of colorism is necessary to eliminate the conversation around "light-skin" and "dark-skin" culture.
