What Is Colourism Exactly?
Colourism is the act of pre-adjust towards those of a darker skin tone and to praise those of lighter complexions. This is something common amongst mainly the Asian, Latino and Black Communities.
Colourism in the media
It is quite common for famous people to favour lighter skin men and women, and to put down dark-skinned women. Chris Brown is a great example of this. An issue happened in 2021. Where a woman was not let into one of his parties because she was dark skin.
The family vlogging channel, The Prince Family, were under fire after calling their new-born baby daughter, Nova Grace, ‘too dark. There was even a TikTok trend in 2020, favouring and fetishizing having babies of a mixed race.
An old video from YouTuber, Queen Naija popped up of her speaking about how she was bullied by so called ‘little nappy headed girls.
Austin Mcbroom of already controversial channel, The Ace Family, had his tweets resurfaced of him saying colourist and racist statements.
The Disney cartoon, The Proud Family has a massive problems with stereotyping darker females. The Gross Sisters are shown to be ashy and bullies, Whereas Light skin characters, Penny and Trudy Proud are seen as being smart and more beautiful.
The Paper Bag Test
The paper bag test was both a colourist and problematic practice which was popular within the 20th Century. This is when you would compare your skin to a paper bag. If you were a darker skin person, then you’re seen as ugly.
Light Skins
The positive include them being smarter, more beautiful than dark skins and being more favoured. Trends even got popular on TikTok where people would make fun of lighter skinned people.
Dark Skins
Dark skins are shown to be seen as gangsters, Whereas dark skinned women are stereotyped to be ghetto and ratchet. They sometimes speak in overexaggerated accents and African American Vernacular English or mostly well known or shortened to AAVE.
How Colourism can cause issues for those of a darker skin complexion?
For a long time now, dark skins have faced colourism as young as being children and in Addition to being told by their parents that they are too dark, and even being called ashy and burnt. Being called ugly and getting rejected constantly can cause low self-esteem and issues with a person loving one’s self, and hence is the reason why so many people of a darker complexion would often turn to skin bleaching and buying makeup products, in order to make their complexion seem lighter, and so they can be accepted by others, it can even get to point of darker skinned people practically females, resenting and hating other light skinned women.
How we can make darker skinned people feel better about themselves?
The best thing to do is to not only stop making them the butt of every joke, but to also tell them how beautiful they are and stop holding lighter skinned people to higher standards. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and people of darker skinned tones aren’t any different to anybody else.