Mia's Musings

http://darkgirls.net
Bill Duke’s ‘Dark Girls’ Headed to theaters in June

Colorism Explained

Bill Duke's controversial documentary, Dark Girls, explores the colorism faced by dark-skinned black women. The documentary, which debuts in June, is controversial because some people believe it airs the dirty laundry of African Americans. Others believe the documentary spotlights a minor problem in the Black community and blows it out of proportion.

In a 2012 article published in The Root DC, Duke commented that he created the film "to create a discussion, because in discussion there's healing, and in silence there is suffering." Colorism is no doubt a sore spot among many African Americans. It describes the perception that society gives individuals with lighter skin advantages over those with darker skin and the idea that dark-skinned black women are not attractive. Kudos to Duke for exploring this taboo topic!

Colorism in Pop Culture

Colorism is illustrated in pop culture images of women. For instance, Shaviro (2005) found female beauty in rap videos is often portrayed as coming as close to whiteness as possible, without actually being white.

Zhang, Dixon and Conrad (2010) found an overrepresentation of thin-bodied black and white women in the videos, especially in high-sex or materialistic videos. Shaviro, 2005 stated:

Hip hop videos today tend to value the same near-anorexic slimness as mainstream white culture does—together with light skin and long, straight (fake as well as processed) hair. Most recently, there has also been a tendency to focus on women who are “multi-racial,” i.e. black and Asian (p. 69).

Worth noting is many rap artists do not practice what they preach. Whereas they practice colorism on the screen, when it comes to relationships, they often remain true to their black female counterparts. Therefore, the argument may be made that rap artists and video producers are only trying to appeal to their audiences. In other words, they are giving people what they want.

Among African-Americans, colorism is experienced in varying degrees. Most African-American families have family members of all shades, which fosters the appreciation for differences and decreases the prevalence of colorism. In my own family, my siblings are all beautiful shades of mahogany. I learned at an early age that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and beautiful people come in all hues.

While it is true that colorism occurs in society and in media representations of black people, I believe colorism is most prevalent in black male-female relationships.

Here are the perceptions (unspoken rules) that black women frequently encounter:
1) The idea that black women should remain single rather than date outside of their race
2) Black women (as a whole) are angry
3) Black women are less desirable than women of other races
4) Black women are stronger than women of other races and don't really need any support or help from a mate.
Relationship-wise, there are few positive messages in popular culture to counteract colorism. Positive images of relationships between a black man and a black woman are hard to find in mass media, i.e. movies and television shows. Black leading ladies are often paired with white men (i.e., Scandal and Deception, Something New and Guess Who). Black men are often paired with Hispanic, white or mixed-race women (e.g., Hitch, Flight, Snow Dogs, Save the Last Dance and Monster's Ball).

Rather than remain single, black women
are looking at other options.

In Nightline Face-Off: Why Can't a Successful Black Woman Find a Man?, ABC focused on the state of black relationships. Statistics on the show indicated that 42% percent of U.S. black women have never been married and that there are more black women than black men.

Additionally, according to the segment, black women are more likely than black men to go to college and excel in corporate America. In the process of becoming successful, many black women put off dating or having families until their thirties, at which point they find it difficult to find a suitable mate of equal status who is ready to commit to one woman. And those who fit the bill are often exclusively attracted to women of another race, gay or unwilling to settle down.

Traditionally, black women have remained single or shared a man rather than date outside the black race. Because of the statistics listed above, and many other factors, there is a large population of successful, unmarried black women.

Slim Thug sparked a controversy in a Vibe.com article on June 7, 2010, when he said black men often fair better with white women who are supportive and less bossy. He added that both black men and women need to change their ways of thinking about relationships. Many black women want black men to be good providers; however, they do not want to reciprocate by playing a domestic role (Vibe, 2010).

"Most single Black women feel like they don’t want to settle for less. Their standards are too high right now. They have to understand that successful Black men are kind of extinct. We’re important. It’s hard to find us so Black women have to bow down and let it be known that they gotta start working hard; they gotta start cooking and being down for they man more. They can’t just be running around with their head up in the air and passing all of us."

Colorism is a practice of discrimination by which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. In the African-American community, this traditionally played out via the paper bag test (about.com).

Media portrayals of successful relationships
featuring black women and white men are rare.

Solutions?

Slim Thug's comment illustrates the power struggle often faced between Black men and women. I believe both genders need to change their views about each other for the sake of a healthier community. However, in popular culture there very few examples of how to go about doing this. Positive messages must discuss the importance of a 50-50 partnership in which each person contributes equally and is faithful.

For instance, music lyrics, television shows and movies can help improve relationships by including discussions of how black men and women can work together for the betterment of the community.

Parents must teach their children to appreciate beauty of all skin tones. Beautiful people come in all shades. Gone are the days when the brown paper bag test foolishly served as a measure of beauty and worth. When watching TV shows etc., point out that attractive women come in all skin tones. More importantly, emphasize that substance is much more important than skin tone, i.e.. intelligence, dependability, etc.

Most black families have members with skin tones of varying shades.

Wise parents should also encourage their children to focus on compatibility, physical fitness and personality, which are more important factors to consider.

The slow demise of the "black couple" may or may not be a symptom of colorism. However, it is worth discussing. Dark Girls will serve as an impetus for healthy conversations about the evils of colorism as well as some other much needed conversations.

Fostering healthy discussions is, after all, one of Duke's purposes for the film. "Somehow if you can speak it and get it out, healing starts" (The Root DC, 2012).