by
Black Girl With Long Hair
A few months back Caymanian actress and Empire star Grace Gealey expressed surprise at the light skin vs dark skin dynamic in the United States, saying that she hadn’t encountered it prior to moving here. Many folks understood where she was coming from, but others felt she was presenting skin biases as a uniquely American thing. But in a recent interview with Yahoo, actress Tatyana Ali, whose mother is Afro-Panamanian and father is Indo-Trinidadian, spoke honestly about some of the challenges she faced defining her own beauty.
I was forced to create my own standard for beauty, because I wasn’t exactly the same as any one side of my family. Growing up in a mostly white community in Long Island made things difficult as well. To be truthful, there are a lot of prejudices in the Caribbean and in Indian communities about hair type and skin color. So, I heard the good, the bad and the ugly and had to decide that I didn’t believe any of it.
Tatyana’s honest admission shines a light on the reality that colorism is a near-universal phenomenon, although it manifests differently in various cultures. Our own writers have spoken of their experiences with light skin privilege and dark skin prejudice in Caribbean, African, European and African American culture.
Ladies, what are your thoughts?
25 Responses
Really Grace Gealey …. In my experience, west indians are as concerned …. perhaps even more concerned with hair length and skin color as americans.
And (I was told this by many west indian friends) they incourage inter-racial relationships ESPECIALLY with caucasions.
Yup!
That’s true to some extent but I think it may also depend on where in the Caribbean you live, perhaps even where in the island you live. Growing up, I never felt prejudiced against in any way. I only became aware of “race” by watching American TV shows. That, more than anything, brought to light just how differently people are treated in countries where everyone isn’t “brown”.
I grew up with Indian friends, light-skinned/mixed friends, Afro friends, everything. It was what we call a “melting pot”, so again it was just the norm for me. I didn’t think the lighter girls were prettier because of it, nor did I think the darker ones were any less attractive.
In my teen years, however, I did realize that lighter-skinned blacks, or “Reds” as we call them, were considered more attractive by some. Even if their features actually aren’t that appealing, they often have this belief that they were somehow better and more appealing because of their complexion and society’s mentality certainly encourages that. It’s a throwback from our pre-independence days where Mulattos and light-skinned blacks were considered more acceptable by white folks. I know that in my island in particular, you had to be a certain shade in order to be able to work in a bank. If you were darker than, for example, a brown paper bag, you couldn’t be employed there.
It is, unfortunately, a mentality that has passed down through the generations, and not just within the black community but also among the Indians. One of my friends, who while not too dark in my eyes but is towards the darker end of the brown spectrum, would never even entertain the thought of dating a brown or dark Indian girl. He only notices the fair ones. The closer to white without actually being Caucasian, the better. But because he has friends of all races and complexions, he doesn’t consider himself racist in any way, shape or form and doesn’t see a problem with it.
I can’t really rebuke him for it, though, because my own grandmother is guilty of the same. She was Indian/Portuguese, born of indentured labourers who came to Trinidad, but she didn’t like Indians at all. Both of her husbands were black men and as a result 4 of her 7 children came out “red”, my mother being one of them. I’m sure that her life would’ve been a lot easier if she’d stuck to her own “kind”. That “own kind” way of thinking still persists in my society today. I’ve noticed that people who are mixed tend to be more open to mixing themselves, perhaps because they don’t really belong to either of the majority groups, but those who consider themselves “pure” be it black or Indian, prefer to remain that way. The ones who pursue Caucasians are the money-grubbing social climbers. White basically equates to financial advancement here. I always joke with my male foreign friends that they need to be careful about coming here because some girl is going to snatch them up the minute they step foot off the plane. I pass it off as a joke but I’m actually being quite serious as well. And the majority of those who seek Caucasians or whose parents encourage them to marry “white” are actually Indian.
As far as my life goes, I live in the north of the island which is very racially integrated but the further down you go, from central to south, you find less and less of it. It’s either black or Indian, maybe a mix of both, but anything else is considered “other” and the prevalence of light skin decreases. Even in the north there are those who still prefer to date/marry within their own ethnic group but many don’t care about that. You like what you like and that’s that. I wish, however, that that kind of blanket thinking would extend to people like me, who while looking one way do have a preference for something else. I’m neither dark nor light, my hair isn’t “hard” but neither is it soft/long/curly. I am that unimpressive shade of in between. Not dark enough to be a striking “darkie”, not light enough to be an outstanding “red”. I actually really like complexion and hair and would never want to be anything but what I am, and I thank my Portuguese great-grandfather for my eyes which are apparently my most impressive feature, but when it comes to what I’m attracted to, well… Some people take umbrage to that, men in particular. No one has ever encouraged me to date “white”, I just happen to be attracted to them. It’s something I’ve been made fun of for, or even criticized for, since I first expressed an interest in the opposite sex. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I was just attracted to people who look like me. There’d be more of a selection to choose from if nothing else. It is what it is and it’s not stopping me from living my life.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that there are many sides to the Caribbean/West Indian experience. Some places are way more racially charged than others; some put a lot of stock in being lighter while for others it’s the reverse. It’s always existed where I’m from but I think it’s only recently begun to come to the surface in such a way that someone like me, who’s never been discriminated against or even had to worry about it, now has to wonder if it’s merely a matter of time.
But in regards to being encouraged to date/marry white, that has less to do with colour or future progeny with light skin/soft hair than it does with money. At least where I’m from. I can’t speak for anyone else but based on the history of the islands, white will always equal money/a promise for better in some people’s eyes and the world at large isn’t doing anything to dispel the truth in that way of thinking.
In the Caribbean our grandparents were raised to believe that lighter was better or prettier even if most where nor even white, times are changing and so is the beauty standard on these Islands. There is a difference between the U.S. and the Caribbean when you talk about race… The Caribbean does not treat Afro Caribbean/Afro Antillean as a minority or as different race.. while the U.S. does. Does not mean there isn’t any racism, there is, is more complicated to isolate a Puerto Rican by race for example because to Americans see a light skin Puerto Rican and think “white person’ but you have no idea what his real ancestry is…and he can and most will have a Afro-descendant grandparent or parent..same goes with a Afro descendant that has a light skin and blue eyed parent or grandparent, we have a saying for it ‘Y tu abuela donde esta?’ ( And your grandmother where is she? to mean where is your ancestry as we take pride in our mixed heritage and culture). Puerto Ricans moving to the U.S. on the other hand are obligated to address their race, something they are not used to doing. I’m not implying one or the other is right or wrong, I’m just clarifying the difference.
Thanks for reading my long winded post 🙂 I have the habit of using awesome sites like these as if they were my journal entries ha…Yea I totally understand you. But I think depending on where you are things are changing for the better as far as hair is concern. Slowly but surely. Where I am its becoming the norm to see women embracing their natural hair as is and I’ve waited so patiently for this day. Still not fully their yet thought… I use to tell my mom that I wished it was normal to see all shades of black people of all textures with healthy and or long hair natural hair. This way, no one has to feel like a walking exhibit or hide/downplay their hair to avoid stares and or offensive comments. Baby steps…..
I am a mixed male from Trinidad. My mother is 1/2 white and Father’s heritage is originally from India with some Scottish mixed in as well. My skin is dark and hair is loose curly. I was born in Trinidad and later moved to NY with my parents and siblings when we were still little around 7 yrs old. I still visit Trinidad and no one there talks about race and being different so I have no idea what Tatyana Ali is talking about. I never experienced any racism at all, at least not to my face. The only time I see any racism is in the USA. In fact the only negative thing I have experienced is with American black people who comment on my “good hair” or I don’t speak like a black person. Actually I get the thing about not speaking black by both whites and blacks which I think is quite ridiculous because as far as I am concerned speaking “black” is an uneducated way of speaking which I will never do.
🙂 Yea, I know I’m long winded. I’m still working on that. I just allowed my thoughts to pour through my fingers as I typed. Journal like entry. My apologies. I was basically saying that growing up, I did not really “fit in” to any one category either, not based on my own doing but that of others. So I had to create my own standard as well. And not once did I take any of it personal or allowed it create some type of complex as it has for a lot of people I know. Because the kids that teased me didn’t know any better. My parents always told me that their ignorance was learnt from their parents so I knew where it came from. When I use to tell curious minds that they too can grow long healthy beautiful hair, they either laughed or thought I was mocking them. But I always knew that would change one day. Look at where we are now. Some of the most magnificent and healthiest heads of hair are of the most kinkiest and tangled textures. The very same hair that many thought could never grow or be healthy:)
If you can’t be bothered to read a few paragraphs, then you don’t deserve the knowledge. Someone poured their heart out and here you come with dismissive sarcasam and laziness. Do better.
Are we not bored of this?
Since when they appeared whites there is been the decline of human civilization!
There was a time that there was no fighting in the skin color, the ancient people didn’t call each other whites and blacks, but with the name of the land where they were born!
For this reason the whites were not the ancient Romans, because the Romans knew that in Africa there were people with dark skin but they didn’t call them with offensive terms!
The whites were not the ancient Egyptians because the majority of the Egyptian kings and queens were blacks!
So who are the whites? Most of the black people know who they really are but who they are?
I’m late but sistah preach
wasn’t she in Light Girls doc?
So it is in Brazil. =/
*yawn*
While colourism is not unique to the US, I can confidently say that it is more prevalent in the states/ outside of the caribbean. Countries like Trinidad, who have a large amount east Indians living there have a cast system so colourism is expected. IDK why we’re fighting and arguing about the shade and tone of beautiful black skin. In Jamaica, colourism is basically apart of our culture but it isn’t so blatant like in the US. It’s more hush hush here. In the US, they make you feel like an alien. Also i’ve never experienced racism in my life, so it’s strange to see what’s happening in the states. Weird.
You may think you have not experienced racism in Jamaica but take a long hard look at your politics. The systems in the Caribbean were largely put in place by Racist Europe during slavery and mostly exists today. The education system is modelled on the same system in Europe whether you’re talking Britain, France or Spain which means the system was never meant to cater for those of African descent. Everything you see in the Caribbean today is and was always for the benefit of Europeans. If there is colourism in any part of the world it is because Europeans planted that seed but we are stupidly responsible for it’s growth. Now as for the Asian argument they have been brainwashed into believing that people with dark skin have little value in society. That’s why this article is of no surprise to me and shouldn’t be to anyone else. If you’re someone of African heritage the bottom of their caste system is too good for you and you might as well be dead. They still uphold their prejudices while living among Black people be it in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe or Fiji etc…
I disagree about your first statement.
I agree with you..same in Puerto Rico. Greetings from a fellow Caribbean
Jamaica = Black Country – Black Majority
USA = White Supremacist Country/Racial Caste – Black Minority
Coloirsm wasn’t as bad during segregation or even during the Black love/power period of the 70’s/90’s. Though it was still present. I don’t get why y’all like to make these comparisons and you know these things
Even with the black majority. We west indians still had the good hair/bad hair bias and lighter skinned people were more likely to have better jobs and receive preferential treatment. Everywhere Europeans went, they left behind the legacy of the supposed ideal of pale skin and straight hair. Whether it was India, the west Indies or Africa.
I can totally relate. I too had to create my own standard. I was confused for a while but such is life. Within the East Indian community my hair was considered nappy and unattractive. Within the white and asian community my hair was strange, untamed, big, too bushy, and very much like an attraction. In the islands where I spent all of my childhood, my hair was considered normal for the most part because many people are mixed with all sorts of ethnic backgrounds. But there were times when people would say things like “cooly burnt rice.” I am dark skin with 3c/4a hair and part of my dad’s background is of Carib Indian descent, so they would also call me “Black Carib.” For those unaware, the Caribs are as stated from wikipedia, “The Island Caribs, also known as the Kalinago or simply Caribs, are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.”
From my own personal experience, the young girls that teased me were also black girls like myself but they “appeared” to have the more common thick, kinky coily, highly textured hair that was either badly taken care, or always braided up and or relaxed. Most of them were very poor but not all of them. Again this is just from my experience. A lot of them even assumed I was stuck up or that I thought I was better than them??? And I remember always wondering to myself, all this confusion just because my hair is a little different and my skin is a different shade of dark brown? Despite this, I never alienated myself and just ignored it. I was very cultured and open to any and everything especially since I traveled a lot. I was an only child for a while so I was extremely friendly, always wanted to make new friends no matter who or what they looked like or what their status or background was.
My parents always taught me not to blame the kids for their ignorance because they learned it from their parents. That always stuck with me so I never took anything personal. But there were times I would downplay my hair texture just so people could pay less attention to my hair and more attention to who I am. But that never worked. Such is life. I still get the same stares and questions to this day. I’ve learned to deal with it. As much I enjoy discussing healthy hair care I would still hide my hair in a bun most of the times though, just to avoid certain questions and stares because sometimes it’s just too much for my introverted personality.
Everyone handles things different, but my personal experiences never once bothered me to the point where I had to isolate myself from certain people or seek out others who looked similar or who could relate to me somehow and I never thought more or less of myself or anyone. I know a lot of girls with similar hair or silkier/softer/finer hair, and of lighter complexion that have developed a sort of complex due to similar experiences. I personally know some who had horrible experiences. But thanks to my parents, I understood that most of these problems only stemmed from ignorance and that one day they will have a better understanding of certain things. We all have a lot to learn….So much has changed for the better since being a kid and I am so very happy.
Anyone who got through all of that care to summarise?
i still find myself trying to downplay my hair texture because of other people’s ignorance. anything to not stand out as much, because so many women stare at hair and don’t notice anything else for a while. not because i don’t groom it, but simply because of the texture/curl size. i get tired of talking about my hair or it being the focal point. didn’t think other women knew what that was like. in my case, i’m a regular shade of brown- straight up in the middle, with red undertones. but i am thankful that i grew up shielded from perceptions of texture differences and differences in skin tone. what i am seeing now in our community are things i’ve encountered since reaching adulthood.
I’m glad that she spoke on the fact that color-ism is every where it’s not just in the black community. I think that to judge someone on hair texture and skin color and tone is just stupid. You are robbing yourself from knowing a possibly amazing person because of that.
you mean “African American” community. She’s admitting its in “other” black communities.