Brown Skins & Bow Wow
Has anyone ever noticed that Black people really don’t want to be dark skinned? In fact, a lot Black people really don’t want to be Black. This phenomenon known as colorism, or the system in which darker skinned people are discriminated against and lighter skinned people are valued, affects the Black community immensely.
Have you encountered a Black person who’s quick to give you a list of their ethnicities in percentages in an attempt to negate their Blackness? Maybe their Instagram bio goes something like: “15% Creole, 18% Indian, 37% Belizean, 49% Italian…”. Or what about a dark skinned Black man who is adamant about his dislike for dark skinned Black women and his love for light skinned women? He may say something like “So I can’t have a preference??” Or how about a Black person who isn’t light but gets offended when someone calls them dark skinned? They might say something like “I’m BROWN skinned”.
So, why? Why are so many Black people so quick to to try to negate their Blackness?
The Issue
All of the archetypes above share one thing in common: An aversion to Blackness. A common misconception about having an aversion to Blackness is that it’s experienced consciously — it’s not. It’s implicit & automatic. The only way to really tell is when it manifests in ways like those listed above. So let’s take a look at the different ways aversions to Blackness may manifest into words:
The Types
- The “I’m mixed!” Black people. They probably look like this:
These are the Black people who feel an heir of superiority because their bloodline (Like the bloodline of dang near every Black person brought to the Americas via the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade) is not “just Black” (as if being “just Black” is just trash or something). While they’re painfully annoying, they’re only victims of a greater system which tells us all that the closer you can get to whiteness, the better.
2. The “It’s my preference” dark skinned Black boy. He probably looks like this:
…and his mother probably looks like this:
He’s self-loathing. Now, I know, a lot of dark skinned men are going to read this and be mad, but like I said, it’s not conscious, it’s implicit. There’s no way that an individual finds an entire group who share nothing in common but their skin color unattractive “naturally”. That’s an aversion to Blackness. There’s no way to deem someone else’s dark skin unattractive while simultaneously loving yours of the same hue. These are mutually exclusive. Stop it. It’s not a preference; it’s a learned condition.
*I gendered this issue because dark skin is often seen as masculine, so it doesn’t necessarily work the same way for dark skinned boys as it does for dark skinned girls*
3. The “I’m Brown skinned, not dark skinned” Black people. They’re often around this color:
These people cringe at the thought that someone might lump them in with people considered “dark skinned”. It pains them so much that they had to create their own category. This is also an implicit aversion to Blackness. If y’all don’t believe me, call a medium-toned Black person “dark skinned” and see how they react. Just like the two above it, these people are victims.
4. The “You’re not that dark” Black person.
This person feels uncomfortable when you refer to yourself as dark skinned (or use the darkest emojis) and really think they’re giving you a compliment. They’re under the impression that everyone who is dark skinned must be upset about it. They’re under the impression that dark skin is something people need to be consoled about. They have a clear-cut aversion to Blackness.
Okay, so now what?
I know some of y’all are not going believe me about implicit aversions to Blackness & some of y’all are going to want to know the “so?” factor. For those who need more proof than just me telling you, I’d direct you to the Harvard Implicit Bias Testing website to take either the test based on skin tone or the test based on race. For those who want to know “so what?” I’d say this: We all fall victim to colorism one way or another. From the false sense of confidence some lighter skinned Black people find in being lighter than most Black people, to the dehumanization & denial of access experienced by darker Black people, we are all victims of a bigger system that tells us that the closer you can get to whiteness, the more valuable you are. What’s important is that you’re aware of what colorism is and what it does to you personally in order to begin unlearning this implicit bias. You can work on unlearning these biases by learning about the impact of these biases. Read up on the devaluing of darker skin within every race and culture. Understand that colorism is pervasive — it’s world wide. The more you know, the more you can reflect on yourself. Conversely, the more you ignore it, deny it, or refer to colorism as a “preference” the more you add to it.
*Disclaimers* because somebody’s gone try it
No, I’m not saying all Black people have an aversion to Blackness.
No, I’m not saying that if you call yourself “brown skinned” it definitely means you have an aversion to Blackness. “Correcting” people who may call you dark skinned though.. that’s a different issue.
No, I’m not saying if you’re a mixed Black person, you have an aversion to Blackness.
No, I’m not saying Black people can’t be mixed.
No, I’m not saying Black people can’t discuss their different ethnicities.
No, I’m not saying if you’re light then that’s the only reason why you may be confident in yourself.
No, I’m not saying light skinned people can’t be self-confident.
