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