Pretty…For a Dark Skin Girl

Last year I was sitting outside on a bench when a young dark skinned woman approached me and had a conversation. I vividly remember her asking me what was I mixed with and how she would die to be my skin color. This event really opened my eyes to the colorism epidemic in the black community. I started noticing the lack of darker women, and men, in the media and the majority of the time they would portray an antagonist.

I have since learned that colorism is nothing new, It dates way back to slavery times. Darker skinned slaves would work the fields while the lighter skinned ones would work indoors. I believe that this is how the “lighter is better” mindset came to be. Ever since, we can see the lasting impact that it has from the paper bag test, to absence of make-up for darker women, to the threat of fear opposed by dark men. It is more of a nuisance for dark women because they see all of these famous black men with either light or white girlfriends and wives and therefor believe that in order to have a man they have to have light skin.

The only real way to fix the colorism problem is for the media to cast more darker skinned people. It will give a new perspective for the audience and eventually force them to adapt their mindsets because if all the exposure. In the mean time we, as everyday people, can help the problem by sitting down with our younger family members and tell them that every skin tone is beautiful and to never apologize for who you are.