by
Black Girl With Long Hair
Many naturals tuned in back in 2012 for the documentary Dark Girls, which offered a look at colorism in the black community from the perspective of dark skinned women. Now filmmaker Bill Duke is following up with a sequel documentary entitled Light Girls. According to MadameNoire.com;
Duke said that he interviewed both lighter skinned Black girls and women. Many viewers, who will likely be expecting to hear stories of light skinned privilege, will be horrified by stories of abuse and objectification which were also inflicted upon them for the shade of their Blackness. He recounted briefly an interview he did with a lighter skinned Black woman, who had Nair hair removal thrown onto her head and her hair pulled out from the roots by a gang of darker skinned women, who were likely jealous because of the lightness of her skin. He also said that the film will feature Black men, who readily admit to desiring lighter skinned women as status symbols.
“With these films, I’m not trying to judge anybody and just presenting the truth of how people feel,” he said. “My point with this film is that you [dark skinned and light skinned] both should stop.”
It sounds like it will be some tough viewing. Check out the trailer below.
And for reference, here’s the trailer for the 2012 film Dark Girls;
Will you be watching ladies? And how do you think colorism in the black community should be addressed?
58 Responses
As a light skin (even to this day wish i was darker)i can say I’ve never experienced rascim. people in Jamaica always made my sister feel bad, saying she think she better than them (her father is white). you can’t get any blacker or Jamaican than her. my point is we really need to stop this sepration. We already have the world putting us down (light or dark).
I am lighter skinned but my mother is dark skinned. While growing up my mother would always tell me that I would be more privileged than her because of my skin color. This type of thinking had a huge impact on me while growing up, since I believed that my skin color was more accepted by the dominant society. Let’s be real here; lighter skin IS more accepted by the dominant society and I would be lying if I said that I was not grateful for the color of my skin. I’m not better than anyone else but sometimes being a Black woman is just too damn hard, and we need all the breaks we can get. For me, my skin color has been that break.
Fast forward 15 years and I live in a country where I am no longer a light skinned Black woman. Ladies I have been elevated one notch on the colorist pole. In France, I am considered métisse meaning mixed. Anyone with dark skin here is considered Black and marginalized as a result. Ironically, I have rebelled against the métisse label and I get into debates having to prove my Blackness. I also ran out got me the finest, Blackest Congolais brotha I could find. Damn he fine, but I digress. Although my skin color is not Black, I am a Black woman and a proud one at that.
This was kind of a rant and I don’t know if there is a point. I just wanted to be raw with you guys. I guess I want to say that while I am a proud Black woman I am grateful to be lighter skinned. Please don’t judge me sisters for keeping it real.
“Tested and Approved femme noire with a Parisian swag, follow me @bellenaturellez”
I agree it is hard, but it needs to end too. I’m grateful for my light skin AND my dark skin and well.. yes, i get 3 shades darker in summer. So i kind of live in both worlds throughout the year. I noticed how difference between how I am publicly treated in the winter, vs how I am treated in the summer. Honestly, I prefer my lighter skin.. for the same reason as you. This does not mean that I hate being dark. If I hated it, i would do my best to stay out of the sun lmao..
You’re not cynical at all lis. Just speaking the damn truth.
Definitely interested in watching this doc….I experienced colorism to the fullest growing up…I was called everything from “light bright, white girl, yellow, light bulb, and yes even MICHAEL JACKSON!” I Constantly had people asking was my hair mine (even had a girl tried to cut my ponytail in elementary school) and still to this day “what are you?” and “what are you mixed with?”….growing up I had animosity towards girls of darker skinned tones because they were always rude and mean to me because they thought I was stuck up etc…even after I tried to be nice…of course as I got older life has taught me to feel otherwise…but I learned to grow and forgive because in the back of my mind I know it’s a deep rooted issue…
I’m light skinned myself and have 0 interest in seeing this. Hearing light-skinned people talk about being victims of colorism, is like hearing white people talk about being victims of racism. While I don’t discount that some people have had some terrible experiences, the overall structure/mindset of colorism benefits them/me. Just like the overall structure of racial discrimination benefits white people.
I don’t know why that’s even up for debate. This issue isn’t exclusive to black people. Look at Indian culture. Look at various Asian cultures. Hell there are even people bleaching in Nigeria and other countries in Africa. All over the world people are being looked down on or discriminated against for having darker skin. Yeah, these women may have had some unfortunate experiences related to their complexion, but discrimination against darker skinned people is a far deeper issue. Lets not be naive here.
It’s especially amusing seeing 3 actresses in the main image. Hollywood is one of the biggest discriminators towards dark-skinned women.
I grew up in a predominately White environment so I didn’t really experience the light and dark thing until I got to high school and college when people started dating. I know for a fact that some dark skinned girls in particular have had an issue with me because of my complexion and because I have long hair. There was always the assumption that I “thought I was somebody” or wanted somebody’s man. I always felt that when meeting a new group of Black girls that I had to prove that I was humble and non-confrontational. In high school even my best friend started saying she was mixed (she’s not mixed) or used to ask people which of us was lighter to try to compete with me. But to be honest yea I’ve face judgment or maybe had guys that approached me because I was light but for the most part I never really looked at it as a negative thing like “woe is me” because I’m light skinned. I’ve heard the way people talk about dark skinned girls so I know whatever I go through is no comparison to their struggle. One thing I hope this documentary touches on is the differentiation between light skinned and biracial because that’s not the same thing or the same struggle.
I grew up differently from most, As a first generation Jamaican American I was taught that Black is beautiful. Period. BUT I was also taught that all ethnicities were beautiful too. In fact, I’d never even heard of “light” or “dark” skin until high school…when I moved from a predominantly white school to a school with more black students.
I quickly realized that there was a colorism war plaguing the minds of many. I’d often hear people make comments that they will only marry a person with “good hair” so their kids will have good hair. I’ve heard people say things that “he’s cute, but he’s too dark”. I’ve witnessed a moment where my good friend in college, out of the blue, confessed that “the beautiful girl that everybody wanted in high school wasn’t really beautiful at all, just light skinned. Meanwhile, the prettiest girl in school *he quietly beckons to our classmate sitting on the grass*.. is dark skinned, and she will probably never get the attention she deserves”.
..Meanwhile, people of other ethnicities drool over our smooth vibrant skin, youthful glow and bright smiles regardless of shade. (see Jasmine Tookes and Lais Ribeiro)
This may be an unpopular thing to say…and I acknowledge that Everyone has problems. But not all problems are equal.
What if I made a documentary about the suffering of the Starving Poor.. and then made another one Equalizing it to the plight of the Rich?
Or comparing the plight of people who are “deformed” by a debilitating disease.. to the plight of the “beautiful” runway models…it would create a very artificial concept of “fair and balanced”.
The documentary by itself is fine IMO, as long as it doesn’t try to equalize a problem that is obviously more prevalent on one side.
Just my 2 cents
I grew up differently from most, As a first generation Jamaican American I was taught that Black is beautiful. Period. BUT I was also taught that all ethnicities were beautiful too. In fact, I’d never even heard of “light” or “dark” skin until high school…when I moved from a predominantly white school to a school with more black students.
I quickly realized that there was a colorism war plaguing the minds of many. I’d often hear people make comments that they will only marry a person with “good hair” so their kids will have good hair. I’ve heard people say things that “he’s cute, but he’s too dark”. I’ve witnessed a moment where my good friend in college, out of the blue, confessed that “the beautiful girl that everybody wanted in high school wasn’t really beautiful at all, just light skinned. Meanwhile, the prettiest girl in school *he quietly beckons to our classmate sitting on the grass*.. is dark skinned, and she will probably never get the attention she deserves”.
..Meanwhile, people of other ethnicities drool over our smooth vibrant skin, youthful glow and bright smiles regardless of shade. (see Jasmine Tookes and Lais Ribeiro)
This may be an unpopular thing to say…and I acknowledge that Everyone has problems. But not all problems are equal.
What if I made a documentary about the suffering of the Starving Poor.. and then made another one Equalizing it to the plight of the Rich. Or comparing the plight of people who are “deformed” by a debilitating disease to the plight of the “beautiful” runway models…it would create a very artificial concept of “fair and balanced”.
The documentary by itself is fine IMO, as long as it doesn’t try to equalize a problem that is obviously more prevalent on one side.
Just my 2 cents
and now… for the much anticipated sequel to the sequel.. INBETWEENERS. A much needed documentary for girls who are neither light nor dark.#Brown. lol
I’ve seen people teased for being dark and people teased for being light. Goes both ways.People get teased for fat, skinny, tall, short whatever. Not sure why colorism is treated as worse than other stuff. I guess it gets more clicks.
I find it funny how by darker complected women rolling their eyes is just adding insult to injury. I as a light skin woman have faced many derogatory comments over something I can’t control. My mother and brother are medium to dark so when people see us they assume my brother and I have different fathers and that mine is white. It hurts to be called “light bright” “white girl” “yellow” “not black enough” as well as being accused of not being truthful about my ethnic background. It was really bad in when guys started to show interest in me and it was always guys that said, “I only like light skin girls.” That’s like a slap to the face because that means the guy isn’t with me because of who I am but solely because I’m light skin and with my natural hair I could “pass for mixed”. And besides it’s always the dark/medium skin women with the perfect skin all cocoa brown year round and 6 months out the year I’m pale :/
Admittedly, I sighed loudly because of obvious reasons, but I’m curious to see this documentary. While I do understand that colorism effects black people of all skin tones, I think people often forget that the backlash against light skinned women is simply retaliation against the aggression and hate faced by dark-skinned women. I’m not condoning severe assault or harassment done by darker skinned women against light skinned women, but I also think we have to understand that this angry divide stems from a much deeper place.
I’m sure everyone notices how people put light skinned women on a pedestal, while dark-skinned women tend to be treated with utter disrespect. The best case study for that is social media, ESPECIALLY Twitter.
guess what,….. I’m black and live in America…..AND? black people better wake up…this colorism is centuries year old, this crabs in a bucket is centuries old….WAKE UP!!!!!
I’ll be watching!
I’m just chilling in medium brown privilege.
Every ethnic group on the planet has a colorism problem. It’s present with groups like the italians, asians, and latinos. If in 2014 you still look at someone’s color and estimate things like their socioeconomic status you’re the one with the problem. In my opinion classism will surpass this conversation about color in our lifetime. Everyone sttuggles, and we can’t get anywhere as a society because instead of people seeing their differences as a blessing we tear each other down. So no, a light skinned woman will never know the struggle of a dark skinned woman and vice versa but both groups have had their own struggle. When we accept that, instead of trying to minimize the hardships of other groups we can move forward.
I keep hearing black men talk about self hatred from black women, Im like really? You guys are a huge contributor to their issues. They love to place light skinned women on a pedestal. Also Black men in Hollywood seem to follow the crowd. Even the ones who have a preference for darker skinned women will end up with a light skinned. Why? Because that’s what’s in. A lot of men tend to want to get with what’s most desirable. And it seems like a lot of black men have moved on from Beyoncé tones to J-lo tones.Its like some trend.
I know it does seem like a trend. Just watch semi-famous black youtubers and viners. They ONLY put latinas, asians and mixed girls in their videos and I as black girl try to look past it, but it’s really sad. Which is why I don’t stan for black male artists/celebs anymore. The love so many black women give is not reciprocated.
Unfortunately, many black men don’t have a mind of their own, and they just follow the media and white men to determine for them who is attractive. If white men started claiming that aliens with green skin and three eyes are the epitome of beauty, you best believe black men would start chasing those women down while castigating black women for emulating the said aliens.
EXACTLY, its like a circle, women hate their color or some aspect of themselves, the media emphasizes this, men pick up like blind animals, women are influenced by this more, back to the media and back to men,,,never ending cycle
I see and understand that both groups of women experience levels of colorism. As a light skinned woman I know I will never understand what a woman of a darker hue goes through day to day. I think its good to see both sides but lets focus that we all no matter what shade are all black women and need to lift each other up not divide ourselves over pigment.
If you think about it, it’s society (institutions like the media and also the family) that pits black women against each other. When dark skinned black women are represented by the media as unattractive, loud or just negatively in general and light skinned women are the beautiful, sought after women that creates tension between black women. When little light skinned girls are treated better by the family compared to her dark skinned counter parts that causes envy and low self esteem in the dark skinned girls. In essence, colourism between black women is not the women’s fault, but it is perpetuated by the media and black communities from generation to generation. One major way to prevent the spread of it to next generations is to stop it when you see it and teach others not to perpetuate it.
I must admit to having watched this Light Girls trailer with one eyebrow raised.
I come from a family of extremes…dark, lifht, and nothing in between. I had a light mother who always taught me that me dark skin was beautiful. Although I was teased and tormented until my teens for being dark, I have never held light skin as a standard of beauty.
That being said, I find it difficult to exhibit much in the way of empathic feelings toward this topic. And here’s why…some of my light skinned family members do nothing but put down dark skinned people and think that everyone who is darker than they are is jealous of them. They insult our darker skinned family members while they are talking to me, as if I am not dark. “It’s a good thing he is so attractive, because he is so BLACK!” or “Just imagine how embarrassing it would be if one of our siblings came out dark skinned.” These are just a few examples. I have never known them to be victims of anything, but rather the aggressors.
Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about colorism. Poor dark skin girls, now poor light skinned girls…talk about a dead horse. Let’s focus on teaching people to become independent thinkers and stop buying in to all of the buffoonery that contributes to such thinking.
All I have to say is, “Ain’t nobody got time for this.”
It was also interesting that when I went to Ghana in college, some of the neighbors were surprised that I was so dark, thinking that if I was from the states that I would’ve been lighter. I guess due to slavery and rape carried on down family lines. Just guessing though.
That’s true. My parents are on either side of the spectrum and I was in the middle. I was frustrated as a kid, but looking back, it was actually ridiculous. I’m amazing the way I am. Bwahahaha!
I come from a family of many different shades and colors. I’m very close to cousins who are very light, and I’m very dark. Growing up and even as adults, we have NEVER had a conversation about how ppl treat us based on our skin color/shade.
I have watched Dark Girls, it’s a very good film but honestly, I can’t relate! I was never teased, bullied or made fun of because of my skin color. I attract men of all complexions and I’ve never thought a guy didn’t like me because my skin is dark.
Am I the only one who has never experienced “colorism”? Don’t get me wrong, I know and understand that it does exist but the way I grew up, it was never presented to me personally….I’ve always felt pride about my skin color.
Throughout my life, I’ve wanted to be shorter, thinner, have wavy hair, be rich…..but I’ve never wanted to be lighter. I’ve never been jealous or felt envious of lighter women and I have never felt like there was a competition. But I will watch this film, like I watched Dark Girls……reading everyone’s comments I can’t be the only one who feels like this.
I’m dark skinned and have never been bullied by anyone in my own race. My mom is dark and my dad is light, my older sister is light as well and my twin and I are dark. When I was in SG for grad school, a chubby Malay kid outside of my apt complex with his friends remarked “Oh how dark,” as I walked out to go to school, but I was an adult at the time and it only surprised me because he was chubby and had the nerve to make fun of my dark skin. Other than that, I’ve never been teased, and dark and light people in my family are common, no “in betweeners” really. And I think this will be an interesting documentary. Colorism should be discussed because it tears us apart and we really don’t need that.
CityStyle and April: Consider yourselves fortunate. I’m dark-skinned and I was bullied mercilessly in grade school for a variety of reasons but the one that stung the most was getting called names because of my skin color. Worse, I went to an integrated school (blacks and whites) and all my bullies were other black girls. It made me really insecure and caused me to withdraw from other kids in general.
What I am thankful beyond measure for is the fact that I had to leave my house to discover what colorism was. Everybody in my immediate family is dark, almost everyone on my father’s side is dark, and my mother’s side spans the color gamut. I was NEVER made to feel like I was less-than because I was dark (at least not by my older relatives when I was a kid…there are some in the later generations who are color-struck but I’m grown now so I don’t have to be around them, lol).
Like you, City, I wanted to “fix” other things I thought were wrong about me — I wanted to be taller, curvier, less shy, and I even wanted what I used to call “Puerto Rican” hair — but I never wanted to be lighter, and that had EVERYTHING to do with my parents and the adults around me.
Hopefully this documentary will be online at some point because I definitely would like to watch it. I doubt it’ll say anything I don’t already know thanks to the many lighter-skinned friends I’ve had throughout my life, but I’m interested in seeing it.
I love that you contributed this to their discussion, because it shows how the family construct can affect how we view colorism. I have a dark-skinned mother and a light-skinned father and she has always resented the fact that I am light-skinned. I will never know why because it can happen when you marry a light-skinned dude. She had some bad experiences with lighter women growing up that sowed into her life (stealing her boyfriends, calling her “blackie” and so forth) and she figured that I fit the prototype of some tragic/slutty mulatto (even though I do not remotely look like one) who just couldn’t be trusted.I learned colorism and sexism first-hand growing up. My brothers are both dark and my sister is just a little darker than me. She openly favors her darker-skinned grandchildren above her lighter ones and boys above all. She was even this way with my friends favoring my best friend because she was dark-skinned. Even my friends all noticed this and still make jokes about it.
And oddly enough, she still does not support my decision to rock my natural type 4 hair after all these years. Every time I see her, she says “why don’t you just put a light perm in your hair?” smh
You’re not. I’m dark skinned. I didn’t get teased. My family ranges in all the 26 hues. No one was made to feel inferior or, superior… I also attract different kinds of men. But, while watching Dark Girls I couldn’t help but be thankful. The issues brought on by all that ignorance can cause a lifetime of pain.
I wasn’t bullied or anything for having darker skin. The only comment (at least the only significant comment) that has ever been made directly to me about my skin wasn’t really a diss. Just an ill-advised comment/”compliment”. Something to the effect of “you’re pretty fly for a dark girl”…
Although I was never teased for being darker, it always bothered me (when I was younger) that all the guys seemed to fawn over the light girls, and rarely gave me a second glance…
Also I am medium brown but I still wanted to be lighter because it is at the top. There were times people referred to me as light skinned and I loved it. Other times I referred to myself as light and I was quickly put in my place. lol. Many medium toned people want so badly to be put in that category but need to wake up. You not light skinned.
Yes, I believe Light skinned people have it bad but not as bad as darker skinned people. They are misjudged and are also told they are not black enough, questioned about their race and told they cannot represent for a real black person. When I was younger I wanted to be lighter. I realize now that it was only for the guys. Thats what they seemed to love the most. But when I got older, I started to hear other races talk about how beautiful dark skin was, and I was like ?? what? really? It was long before I started to see what these men saw that a lot of brothers did not see. I was like You know what dark skin really is beautiful and now I will always believe it no matter what anyone thinks.
Another opportunity for divide and rule in the black community. When are we going to see some positive films about our achievements before slavery. SMDH. ????
Our multitude of achievements before, during and after we were kidnapped, held hostage and forced to work against our will (aka slavery) are routinely marginalized.
I see Bill Duke conveniently avoids spotlighting charcoal-complexioned men such as HIMSELF and their long-standing antagonism against ‘pretty-haired and fine’ light-skinned men throughout modern North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Australia, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.
He condenses the economic, political, legal and social apartheid experienced by dark and light-skinned peoples to “both should stop”. As if WE created and solely perpetuate colorism, as if there aren’t published reports of rampant government and private industry housing, business loan, farm subsidy, media and education segregation all due to the continued stranglehold of colorism.
Go to Mexico, the DR, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Thailand or India to see the crippling scourge of colorism on their national psyches. Underground and legitimate skin bleaching cream companies prey on this disease and revenues are an estimated 13 billion a year in Asia alone, with insane revenue on the African continent and the U.S. and Latin America as well. Women and men are disfigured and dying of the mercury and steroids in these products! The dark diva Diana Ross of “The Wiz” fame is now lighter than her bi-racial daughter and the top 5 most powerful Blacks in government (The President, Eric Holder, Jeh Johnson, Valerie Jarrett, Susan Rice) safely pass the paper bag test. So for Duke it’s that simple, ‘both should stop’? Give me a break!
I find Duke’s quasi-discussions to be vacuous and pitiful in truly presenting the scope of the very lethal pandemic of colorism.
You killed it @disquis_15…..how come dark men and their issues with themselves and others (light and otherwise) are never discussed and held up for examination?.When will the spotlight turn on THEM and how come Black women don’t find it funny all these black men talking a bout *our issues*…When have they ever cared about Black women….what’s their agenda….enlightenment or *othering* Black women even further in American society? and getting paid behind it…maybe I’m too cynical.
Sigh.
@disqus_l5AKLiKBqN This is the most insightful comment that I’ve read on the issue so far.
I am dark brown and my sister is light. We have the same mother but different fathers. We both grew up jealous of one another. We were so close when we were little girls, but by the time we went off to college we had become strangers. I remember fighting off girls in high school because they were jealous of physical features or that she would steal their men. Knock down violent fights! it was crazy! She grew to resent the fact that my blackness was never challenged and she was constantly on the defense. I would swallow my pride when we went out,because I knew that once they noticed the light/bright in the room I was going to get knocked out of the way. I remember when she pledged AKA, it just separated us even more. I couldn’t stand to be around her for too long. I watched her take advantage of the light skin girl card by dating athletes, a couple of entertainers, and even getting married to a well known black entertainment attorney. Till this day we are still not close, and it makes my mother very upset. Blood is blood, and color should never be an issue amongst sisters.I wish that was so,but the truth is color does matter in this superficial world. I wonder how she’s going to raise her brown skinned daughter to love her skin tone? Is she even capable of teaching black pride?
Your story saddens me because it reminds me of two sisters I used to know when I was very young. One took after her mother (dark) and the other took after her father (light). I was friends with the darker girl first, and then later on I became friendly (note my words here) with the lighter girl. Little did I know that simply by doing this I was forfeiting my friendship with the darker girl. I used to think I’d done something wrong but now I know the color difference had fostered a really deep division between them. It’s been many years since I’ve seen either one but I always wondered whether they were able to reconcile. I hope you and your sister will be able to do so at some point. Peace to you.
I think any rational person would concede that light skinned women are the the subject of a multitude of stereotypes. To me the difficultly arises when: 1) those stereotypes (several of which– let’s be honest– are comparatively positive) are EQUATED with those of darker skinned women; or 2) people simplify complex manifestations of bias by stating that “at the end of the day, we are all black.” There is this discourse among blacks– which is likely a byproduct of the one-drop rule– that we all experience race in the same way. We don’t; And with the diminishing utility of the one-drop rule as a mode of understanding racial phenotype; we need not pretend that we do. Pretending that colorism doesn’t uniquely impact darker skinned women, or that the gilded cage of a lighter skinned black woman doesn’t sparkle, doesn’t help move the dialogue forward– it silences genuine discussions about pervasive color preferences. The truth is, as a dark skinned woman I see less people who look like me in those spaces where power is concentrated. In the media, for instance, I routinely see lighter skinned women operating as a proxy for people who look like me (Though Halle, Beyonce, and Rihanna’s phenotypes more closely resemble a white woman’s than they do mine). My invisibility in those spaces is not inconsequential to me…
Across the various color strata there are, of course, more colors than just black and white. To validate the very different societal position occupied by lighter skinned black women, we need not liken it, equate it, approximate it to that of darker skinned women. Yet, I feel that I am regularly being called upon to do just that. Meanwhile, we can all readily admit that although Asian women are the subject of various racialized stereotypes, that, in general, they are perceived more positively and experience comparatively less racialized isolation than black women. Why do we then struggle with wrapping our heads around the discrimination differential between light and dark? Why are we so threatened by this observation?
I think we don’t like to go there because WE are the ones enforcing it. I have lived in mostly white areas my almost my entire life and white people can be racist but they don’t have any sort of preference for mixed blacks that I have ever noticed. Almost all color privilege comes from within our own community and ignorant things that come out of OUR mouths.
I rolled my eyes the hardest when I saw Raven Symone’s name…she considers herself black at all now??? huh…. well then!!!!
Light skin women do not experience the intra-racism that our dark chocolate sisters experience. I’m sorry but I’m just putting it out there and being real. Brothers prefer lighter skin over darker skin. That’s just fact. Folks call it Colorism, I call it intra- racism. Yes I said it intra- racism. The only other group who I can think of who experience hate are bi-racial folks (vanilla & chocolate ). They are teased and bullied, during childhood especially, just like our dark chocolates beauties, unfortunately sometimes by the darker skin sisters who are jealous . The bottom line is that black is beautiful. The thing that sets us apart, and makes us so unique, so different, and so beautiful is our many different skin tones. White folks do not have that. We are a blessed people and we do not see it. We must learn to love ourselves and the skin that you we are in; that’s the only way we can learn to learn others. I will definately checking this out as I did Dark Girls, which was hard to watch but a must watch.
I will have to disagree with you on one point. I don’t really believe dark-skinned women can really relate to the “hate” that biracial folks experience. They experience hate, but that’s where the parallels end. Check out YouTube. A black natural girl (light or dark) can make videos (Joulzey discussed this in a video) and it is NOT supported by the black female population, but a biracial girl with hair that speaks to a mixed-race heritage will get a ton of views by duplicating a hairstyle that has been done several times by black women. Also, these days a biracial woman’s beauty is valued above all others by black men (light or dark). They tend to believe the lie that these women are beautiful in spite of their blackness, not because of it. They like their black features where it counts (i.e butts, hips, lips).
I wish I had the own channel to watch. As a lighter skinned woman, it is not all cookies and cream as some think it is. I was constantly getting bullied & teased to the point that I would cry before going to school by a group of a darker girls. I was jumped by a group of 5 or 6 darker girls before and I never even uttered a word to them. Its crazy that people are so dismissive to the experiences lighter skin women face. I feel as if our experiences are passed off as “superficial”
And the SEXUAL objectification by men. *gags* the horror.
I’m tired of people seeing me and automatically thinking EYE think I’m better than everyone and I’m stuck up. Since those stereotypes exist, I’m approached like I’m a bitch by some black women. Not all but some.
I totally agree with you! It’s amazing how our experiences go ignored or belittled. I’ve had similar experiences as a girl and as a woman. Girls I didn’t even know at school would always want to physically fight me, simply for being alive. I didn’t do anything to them to deserve that type of treatment. Hell, I didn’t even know they existed, until they approach me with their violent rages. I didn’t steal anybody’s man or stab anyone in the back, but that is the type of treatment I would encounter over and over again during my school days. At some point, I stopped befriending Black girls altogether. Then, the drama ended!
As for Black men, I never dated a guy who made a big issue about my skin color. If I thought his behind was color struck, I ran in the other direction. I want to be love for something much more deeper than the color of my skin. I don’t think I’m better than darker Black women, I never did. My mother raised me better than that! If someone has a hard to believing that, they are projecting their own issues onto others. Try not to make assumptions about people, based on their skin color. You never know what people are dealing with. I think it is important to hear all POVs, if we want to heal as a people. Let’s stop trying to keep score on who is the bigger victim in the Black community. When it comes to racism and colorism, we have all been affected.
I avoided the color-struck guys as well. I never wanted anyone who had an issue with their own blackness.
I did not have black friends in middle school. The girls were merciless. Gum in my hair, fights, bullying…they made my life hell. I still remember it to this day. All my friends were white girls. They were the ones that were nice to me.
I’m biracial, my mom told me when I was 8 (she’s white) that you are no better than anyone else in terms of color and features. I took that to heart and live my life by it. Even to the point, that I tried to downplay my own outer appearance, so I wouldn’t appear like the stereotypical light skinned girl. I didn’t want to be attractive or draw attention to myself b/c of any of my features that would be considered favorable by some. I kept my hair in a ponytail for years as a young adult. As a grown woman, I had to have a talk with myself. I had to stop dimming my light to make others comfortable. I just live my life now. I don’t take pride in being light or biracial, but I like the way I look…and that’s okay. I have both my parents to thank for that.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone and they are shocked that you are as down-to-earth as you are? I’m telling you, it’s the equivalent of white folks noting how articulate that black person is.
I couldn’t help but notice…. there are more celebrities in the Light Skinned trailer than in the Dark Skinned trailer…. It’s hard to empathize when the closer you get to white, more opportunities becomes available…. I don’t fault the women, I fault the people who put the social constructs in place….
Honestly, my initial reaction was to roll my eyes, but we have to continue to reform our thinking. We are all black women with struggles that while not the same, need attention and a forum for expression. I have to stop myself from being judgemental of a light skinned girl’s struggle because it is not a contest and it is worth learning about because my daughter is one of those girls. Like we ask everyone else to do when we speak, let’s listen, empathize and learn.
I also had a roll my eyes moment. But on second thought, yes, I’m interested in hearing what light skinned women go through. And getting a better understanding of their view of the world.
I’m a medium brown and I’ve had darker skinned women tell me, and I quote, “you don’t have our struggle because you’re light skinned.” I did a double take like “who me?!” and they said that I still get treated better because I’m lighter than “midnight” or whatever negative connotation thrown upon them by others as well as themselves. Also, as someone with a multitude of light skinned friends (from light bright to lightly golden) I have witnessed them get harassed for just being their skin color. All of this has to stop. I didn’t roll my eyes because we all have a story. In lighter news (no pun intended) I saw a beautiful super dark chocolate sister at The Body Shop last night and I had to interrupt her from assisting me to tell her that her skin was GORGEOUS!!!!!! And absolutely flawless. I love all shades. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
There is a widespread perception that you have it better. It’s a throwback to old days of course when lighter skinned people did get advantages darker skinned people did not. There’s a West Indian saying that one should “raise their color.” All around is the exaltation of light skin as a better black. I think there’s a lot of pent up resentment at what people believe is a free trolley ticket on easy street. That woman is lashing out based on her own insecurities which have nothing to do with you. This is why we have to have this conversation. I’m sure that same woman wouldn’t suspect you’ve been harassed as well. I rolled my eyes because I’m guilty as well of that flawed thinking too.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too. 🙂
That was my initial reaction too. I am from a mixed family and I don’t think that having people be mean to you because they are jealous is as traumatic as having people treat you badly because you are dark. Also, black women who are lighter are the minority, so their side is less important to the primary discussion in my opinion.
However, I think people can really overestimate how much “special treatment” someone gets for being on the lighter end of the spectrum. If you want to work in entertainment as a booty girl or an actress playing someone’s girlfriend with very few speaking lines, then yes, a lighter complexion is practically required, but I don’t see very much colorism outside of the entertainment world.
Sometimes I think the discussion should be asking why the entertainment industry is so colorist. I know I have my theories…
Light skin black women are in a precarious position. On one hand, we’d argue privilege should be recognized and used to illustrate how unfairly others are treated as a consequence. In this instance, we should be listening to dark girls to understand the depth of the discrimination they face and how that struggle is not on par with theirs. I don’t think it’s a matter of numbers. On the other hand, as minorities, they are still subjected to racism and oppression.
Having the conversation within the black community is a way of resolving the colorism built off our backs from light to dark. The exaltation of light skin women as a higher standard for blacks is part of an oppressive system that doesn’t fully accept them either. Colorism is evident within communities themselves which is mirrored in entertainment. When we still have people arbitrating someone’s blackness or claiming that people who “pass” have an easier time (looking at you, YouTuber Toni Daley), then it’s worth building the entire narrative to include their story.