Colorism in the Media: "Light-skin vs. Dark-skin"

For centuries, there has been a divide in the black community. This divide is called colorism. For those not informed, it is where individuals with a lighter complexion are preferred to those with darker complexions. It is a dysfunctional pyramid that needs to be demolished. Little girls find out at a young age about this from their own family members. Sometimes they are told that it is bad to be darker. Psychology Today states, “For instance, in a 2011 study, researchers found that matriarchal figures such as mothers and grandmothers were often Black girls’ first source of skin-tone socialization during childhood and adolescence.” On that account, we look into how this pans into media. There have been many controversial debates over the topic of colorism, most of them involving black women. Following this topic, there have been many books that have been turned into movies. Such as The Hate U Give or Everything, Everything. However, the main character’s description in the book is not the same as in the movie. In both books, the main character is a dark-skinned girl. Amandla Stenburg (pronouns are she/they) has been the center of this controversy. She ended up playing both roles in the films and it sparked an uproar. Amandla decided to speak up about this. Psychology Today states, “Sandberg has spoken out on multiple occasions about how their “light-skin privilege” has afforded them more attention and opportunities in Hollywood than darker-toned actresses.” It is unfair to other actresses that fit the description of the character better, but we can not completely fault the actresses that take these roles. The casting directors are at fault as well.

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/black-women-and-girls-wellness/202112/how-black-women-are-recognizing-and-calling-out-colorism

Comments

"It's cool when they do it, but it's a problem when I do it?": Black women and cultural appropriation.

Black women can be known as trendsetters. Most styles you see? A black woman most likely invented or came up with the idea. Great right? However, the reception they receive is not always welcome. A lot of hairstyles black women wear tend to get a lot of criticism, most of it negative. Essence states, “What’s difficult to digest is this “praise” of all things black – from cornrows and large booties to acrylic nails, door-knocker earrings, and tribal fabrics – only becomes “chic,” “trendy,” and “epic” when worn by white women. When these same cultural markers are on black women, they are “ghetto,” “urban,” and “ratchet” – meaning, unpretty.” Such as baby hairs or durags. Many black women have spoken up about how things are different when they are not the ones wearing the style. Many black models could rock these styles, but instead, they would rather have someone outside the culture do it. A factor in this could be that they do not have the proper hairstylists to do it. Many black mode

A Trailblazer: Marsha P. Johnson

When we discuss the LGBTQ+ community, one name that has to be brought up is Miss Marsha P. Johnson. In today’s society, many people forget how big of an impact she had. Born in 1945 and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Before she had transitioned, she wore dresses at a young age. Marsha stopped wearing them after being sexually assaulted. Marsha ended up moving to New York after graduating high school and her activism began. National Women’s History Museum states, “Once in New York, Johnson returned to dressing in clothing made for women and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson; the “P” stood for “Pay It No Mind,” a phrase that became her motto. Johnson described herself as a gay person, a transvestite, and a drag queen and used she/her pronouns; the term “transgender” only became commonly used after her death.” As time progressed, she began to be more involved as an activist. One of her most memorable accolades is her at the Stonewall Raid. Marsha and many others helped hold prot

Making history every day: Jennifer McClellan

Another first crossed out for black women, and during Black History Month? Double win. Today, the state of Virginia made history by having the first black woman to represent in Congress. NPR states, " Virginia Democratic state Sen. Jennifer McClellan cruised to an easy victory in Tuesday's special election for Virginia's 4th Congressional District, making her the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress. The race was called shortly after polls closed by the Associated Press." (Paragraph 1) Virginia was one of the many states that have yet to have a woman of color in office. With the state's history with black women, I am not shocked. It is known that Virginia forced freed slaves to continue to work for their counterparts. Many denied it as another form of slavery and deemed it as a "job". Jennifer being elected is like a breath of fresh air after those horrific events, Jennifer McClellan has education from the University of Virginia, Virgin

Black Girl Magic

Search This Blog