Colorism is defined as the idea that people with lighter skin are superior to those with darker skin tones. It is an issue that is in our society due to the way the media puts down darker skinned women. The years 2012 to 2014, was filled with memes on social media about being light skinned and dark skinned black people.
People thought it was hilarious. That it was just a joke. Black boys and girls would caption their Facebook and Instagram pictures with the hashtags #TeamLightSkin, #TeamDarkskin and #TeamBrownSkin. The problem is that many people aren’t aware of the origin of this phenomenon called colorism.
Colorism originated during slavery when darker slaves would work in the plantation while the lighter skinned slaves would get to work inside the home. A test called the “Paper bag test” would be performed to determine who would work in the fields and who would work inside. Slaves lighter than a paper bag would get to work inside while the ones darker worked the plantations. This divide was encouraged by the slave owners and it shaped a type of mentality that still exists among black people today. It’s the reason why many consider darker skin to be inferior to light skin and it’s the reason why there are so many stereotypes about different skin tones. I have personally heard people say that dark skin girls are not pretty or that light skin people don’t respond to text.
However, I feel like things are getting better. In 2015, light skin jokes are not as popular as they were before. I’m starting to see the #LightSkinsWinning replaced with hashtags such as #MelaninPoppin and #MelaninOnFleek. People are being more enlightened and are starting to realize that having melanin is a gift and not a curse. This might be due to the popularity of dark skinned actresses such as Lupita Nyongo and Viola Davis. It might also be due to the Black Lives Matter movement which has reunited and awakened black people all over this country. I don’t expect colorism to be one hundred percent gone overnight but I hope that one day black people will stop judging one another based on skin tone or hair texture.
