The WHITER the BETTER
Being light-skin has many advantages in today’s society
When one is in elementary school they don’t think nothing about their skin color but once they get older they start to realize that one’s skin color is something so powerful that many try to get. The lighter you are the more benefits and advantages you get compared to someone who has a darker skin tone. For example, there’s a high percentage of employers that hire individuals who are white or have a lighter skin tone over individuals with a darker skin tone. Furthermore, there’s many employers that are bias and categorize individuals within their ethnicity. Therefore, if they have had a previous employee of a specific ethnicity that didn’t do their job right then the employer would expect that from all individuals from that ethnicity or race.
From my personal experience when I was in high school I didn’t realize that I tried to have a lighter skin tone than darker skin tone. But I stated to realize that it was because I was trying to fall under what is considered beautiful. To be beautiful in society one needs to be white or have a light skin tone, have blonde, straight hair, a perfect smile, and a bubbly personality. In addition, now education is linked to being white or trying to be white. Students from minority groups who are pursuing a higher education are now seen as individuals trying to be white. Society imagines that the only individuals who are educated and can be successful are white men and women.
My own family members believe that I’m trying to abandon my culture and where I come from because I’m pursuing my education. When I get asked from relatives about my education they are shocked to find out that I’m still enrolled in school and haven’t got pregnant yet. Being a young woman with a Mexican background has a stereotype of getting married or having children at a young age.Therefore, when one doesn’t fall under that stereotype then they or for example, me are seen as trying to be “white.” Not to mention, a white person is seen as more superior compared to a Hispanic or African American. But if one has a higher education but are not white people considers them as “close to being white.” This is seen a lot in Hispanic families, such as mine. When I’m around relatives from Mexico they see me as someone superior to them because I’m close to being white since I know how to speak English and I’m pursuing a higher education.
Sara Ahmed mentions, “Whiteness gets reproduced by being seen as a form of positive residence: as if it were a property of persons, cultures and places.” Many people now try to be “white” as if it was a fashion trend or style to follow. For example, the majority of young non-white adults are trying to pursue a higher education because that gives them a foot in to many opportunities they might have not gotten since they’re not white. Furthermore, Peggy McIntosh mentions in her article how all the things she does or doesn’t do is because she decided on it and not due to the race she is. White people have the option to use their privilege for doing something good or can use it as an advantage to get ahead of others without working as hard as them.But everyone should be able to have those same opportunites that white men and women have.
