Disclaimer: I obviously can only speak from my own point of view- which is that of a light-skinned woman-yet I encourage a young lady of a dark-skinned shade to comment with her point of view to gain a clear understanding!
I know what you're thinking...are we still on this?? How do I know this, because that's what I think daily. My Dorothy Dandridge post really got my wheels turning after reading up on her struggle in the entertainment industry simply because she was a light-skinned black woman--and it made me want to explore whether or not we've made any strides both intra-racially and within society as a whole. At first glance--HELL NO--and its quite sad.
For clarification, I am in no way speaking of preferential things, such as dating- I am speaking of the way that people truly judge a person based on their shade.
For starters (and I plan to be very candid and honest) from youth to my adult years I do believe that when dealing with the Caucasian race, I can without a doubt say that I have considerably been treated better than fellow darker skinned classmates and/or colleagues when placed in the exact situations. From my perspective it seems as though they are more comfortable with dealing with lighter-skinned African-Americans because stereotypically we are perceived to be more easy-going and softer spoken. In reality- this stereotype is absolutely absurd and has no basis, but we are a part of a society that has such deep rooted stereotypes that typically began in slavery that at this point it's almost a lost cause.
Now with that said, I do think that some individuals--weak individuals--allow this to dictate how they identify with society. In my younger years it made me more comfortable with having more of a diverse group of friends, which in some ways stemmed from the fact that other children in my elementary (mostly darker skinned children) seemed to always have some type of unwarranted disdain for me, so it caused me to almost have to play more with the white kids in order to have a set group of friends. But as an adult- to still hold this as a reason to place myself above or even below someone else would be ridiculous and senseless.
It's certainly obvious where most of this comparison stems from, but it's not obvious why we continue to live within these unspoken boundaries.
I can't explain how annoying it is for EVERY single person to take one look at me and immediately label me as booshy or conceited because I have light-skin-light eyes-and not to mention a small frame. (THIS IS A WHOLE OTHER POST FOR ME...I HATE THAT PEOPLE THINK IT IS OK TO CONSTANTLY DISCUSS HOW 'SKINNY' I AM-NOW IF I TURN AND SAY HOW FAT YOU ARE WOULD WE STILL BE SPEAKING?? I'M JUST SAYIN...OK BACK TO THE POST)
It appears that this topic will forever be a sore spot. Many would say that the dark-skinned will continue to feel neglected as long as the lighter-skinned are subconsciously celebrated; the lighter-skinned will continue to feel persecuted by their darker siblings merely for being so.
Time will tell if we will ever overcome this nonsense-but I think it begins with each of us individually looking at a person for who they really are, and not the shade of their skin!
Peace Love and Soul
(was that Black enough for ya! LOL)
-LDL
Loving the post. I remember in one of my African American studies classes at O State, the professor asked who are you around when do you take note of the color of your skin. I had to admit, it is normally around other black people. I'm constantly being called terms like "white girl," "lite bright" etc by my family and African American peers. How can I in these situations not take notice to the color of my skin. Although I take note, it does not define who I am.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post! I rememeber my first experience with the dark vs. light. I had to have only been about 4 or 5 when I realized "daddy isn't like us, he's orange." After that incident I never really related to the dark skin-light skin thing until I reached high school. I had gone to the movies with a light skinned girlfriend when some man yelled "hey redbone" which I didn't understand until she broke down the dynamics of it. I was raised around the Caucasion persuasion for the majority of my younger years so all I had gained from that experience was black vs. white.Strangely enough i've been called both dark and light. I've been called and oreo because of the way I speak. I too have been called a "white girl" and accused of not being BLACK ENOUGH. But I am far from light skinned. Yet at 25 I'm in a place where others may label me, but I love who I am. And I love the variety of shades we come in. We do each other a disservice by limiting ourselves. It's unfortunate that some have not been accepting of our differences due to ignorance. Why haven't moved past a house/field negro mentality? In the same breath, I think progress comes with 1st one's own personal growth beyond the stereotypes then with a willingness to teach others.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic. I think media early on "tries" to tell us how we should think about our beautiful skin hues. But at the same time, how we were raised presses an even deeper impression of who we are and how we see ourselves. Now, don't get me wrong, as a young girl/teen...I heard the "You are cute for a dark-skinned girl" comments. And to me those remarks are made of ignorance, but every since I could remember, I always loved my shade. I wore it with pride. My mom even told me that as a baby she loved for me to get even darker, as she referred to me as "her lil chocolate baby." And even til this day, I welcome the sunrays in the warmer months for sunkissed skin, while my other dark "sistas" run for cover in fear of getting darker.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think it all boils down to self-esteem. Some people have it in abundance and others not so much.
Thx for the responses ladies!! Great insight!
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