Colorism: why it is important to know

WHAT IS COLORISM?

It's possible that you've heard the term "colorism" but have no idea what it really means and what impact it has. Comparatively speaking to overt racism, subtle racism is less commonly known since it is more challenging to identify and oppose.  

It is only through conversation and research that we were able to find the different ways racism can appear in society; racial discrimination based on skin color is referred to as colorism. People with darker skin are less favored than those who appear lighter looking due to colorism (Mathews, 2015). Another way of racial discrimination is by texturism, which favors hair textures that are smoother and finer; as a result, curly and kinky hair is seen negatively. One prominent example of texturism is the restriction on certain natural hairstyles in certain jobs because they are deemed unprofessional.

HISTORY

Colorism can be seen in the history of slavery in America, where mixed-race slaves were more expensive to buy and sell, making lighter-skinned slaves more valued. White men would profit from the perception that female slaves with lighter complexion were more attractive. Due to the societal benefits, African Americans with lighter skin tones started looking for others who had lighter skin tones (Mathews, 2015, page 252).The "paper bag test" was a form of colorism that involved comparing skin tone to the color of a paper bag; if your skin tone was lighter than the paper bag, you were considered to be more fortunate (Kerr, 2005).

GENDERED COLORISM

Some claim that colorism, also known as gendered colorism, affects African American women more than African American males. White women dominate the media's idea of beauty now, as they have historically been favored and still are till this day. Due to pressure from society that the white woman is favored, colorism has a greater impact on African American women. This is also evident in the preferences of African American males, who, according to the majority of African American women, nearly always favor lighter-skinned or more white women (Mathews, 2015). When this was realized, the "Black is Beautiful" campaign was launched, which helped the African American community overcome internal colorism and teach the community to embrace their roots (Mathews, 2015). Fighting against internal colorism is crucial if you want to successfully oppose external colorism, such as that of the media.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kerr A. E. (2005). The Paper Bag Principle: Of the Myth and the Motion of Colorism. The Journal of American Folklore, 118(469), 271–289. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4137914 

Mathews, T. J., & Johnson, G. S. (2015). Skin Complexion in the Twenty-First Century: The Impact of Colorism on African American Women. Race, Gender & Class, 22(1–2), 248–274. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26505337