If You're Light, You're Right?
Published January 15, 2009 @ 06:23PM PT
A few weeks ago, I saw this ad for Fair and Lovely, a skin whitening cream. I know that skin whitening has been an issue on communities of color for a while now-it's a big in India and in parts of Africa as well-but this was actually the first time I had seen a TV commercial for a skin whitening product.
Colorism - the preference of lighter skinned people over darker skinned - is an ugly reality in the Black community and other communities of color as well. After years of white imperialism and oppression, many women of color grow up in a society that devalues darker skin. When I open up an issue of Vogue or even Cosmopolitan, chances are that the black women I see in the fashion ads will be a light skinned.
When I was growing up in Los Angeles, there was a tall, beautiful girl with ebony skin who went to my church. When I asked one of my black male friends if he'd date her, he said, "Hell no, she's too dark." One could say that this was just a matter of preference--perhaps the girl just wasn't my friend's type--but it still remains that in the US and abroad, light skin is the preferred standard of beauty.
It is this way of thinking, that light is always right, which leads some women to lighten their skin. As the advertisment suggests, if a dark skinned woman uses Fair and Lovely to lighten her skin, she will gain acceptance by white women. Hell, it might even get her a job!
Nothing surprises me anymore, but I somehow found myself shocked by the glaring message of the ad. It reinforces the idea that in order to be accepted by white people, you must look white. The ad implies that dark skinned people cannot find work and are less successful than light skinned people.
The doll study which justified the overturning of racial segregation in American schools in 1954 comes to mind.
On the other hand, the Fair and Lovely ad has the power to spark a global discussion about colorism and what it means to be a woman of color living in a world where the European standard of beauty is so dominant.
It is important that we teach our daughters to love their skin no matter what color they are. Perhaps it can start by showing them this ad. Let's start to discuss what colorism means not only among women of color communities and circles but in white feminist circles are well. I am willing to bet money that many white middle class feminists have no idea that this is an issue that women of color face, but the minute someone finds this youtube in their inbox, perhaps it will pique one's curiosity to know more.
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Comments (10)
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Author
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Loryn is a native of Los Angeles, California. While attending The George Washington University, she founded the Black Women's Forum, a discussion series for African-American female students. She is pursuing a career in media relations and has worked on media and communications campaigns for Microsoft, MGM MIRAGE, and the Service Employees International Union. Her personal blog, Black Girl Blogging, explores women and girls' advocacy, black society and leadership, and the 2008 presidential election. Loryn is passionate about public service, women and girls' rights, hip hop, and Womanism. A self–proclaimed foodie, Loryn loves to cook and to try new restaurants. She also enjoys music, art, basketball, and reading.
I've read about this issue, as well as the hair straightening issue, because I've been following Pam Spaulding's writing for a while. I don't know how typical that awareness is among white feminists, which I happen to be, but I still rarely write about it myself when addressing women's issues.
In part, I worry that I won't address the topic properly, and perhaps that I don't really have standing to do so. I've linked to women of color writing about this, but to really take it on directly, it would worry me that someone might consider it an excuse for white racism, sort of an 'oh, everybody does it, so it isn't that bad' thing - instead of what it should be, a demonstration of how deep the hurt and shame of colorism goes.
When I did an internship in Costa Rica, in this place with spotty phone service out and a long bus trip away from any larger community, I did run into a few Costa Ricans with lighter skin making disparaging comments about people with darker skin. I felt horrible and awkward, because they seemed to believe it would make me think better of them to say so and my language skills were so minimal that I just wasn't up to engaging on the topic. It was the first time I'd run into the phenomenon in person, so when Pam writes about 'brown paper bag tests' or you write about this, I know you're both talking about something widespread.
But I think it's going to be hard for a lot of us to feel comfortable addressing this topic. I've seen it in person and I still feel awkward discussing it, ignorant when I talk about it. Anyway, thanks very much for writing this.
Posted by Natasha Chart on 01/15/2009 @ 07:28PM PT
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"In part, I worry that I won't address the topic properly, and perhaps that I don't really have standing to do so. I've linked to women of color writing about this, but to really take it on directly, it would worry me that someone might consider it an excuse for white racism, sort of an 'oh, everybody does it, so it isn't that bad' thing - instead of what it should be, a demonstration of how deep the hurt and shame of colorism goes."
I worry about this when addressing the issue of race in eating disorders as well. Actually I worry about it when addressing any identity issue - gender, socioeconomic, age, religion, size - because I know what it's like for even the most well intentioned person to misinterpret or misunderstand your situation.
So how does a feminist go about doing this? I know that eating disorders exist in the black community, and I have no problem pointing out that fact, especially since I understand the danger of discounting such a serious problem based on stereotypes. But I also don't know how to properly engage that issue. I can link to other writers, though they are scarce, but how would I write about it myself?
Sorry if this is off topic Loryn, but your challenge and Natasha's response definitely sparked more questions for me, especially since both issues are related to a warped standard of beauty.
Posted by Julie Neumann on 01/15/2009 @ 09:31PM PT
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This really saddens me. I have never come across this before. I'm afraid I'm with Natasha on this one, I wouldn't know where to begin addressing this issue.
Posted by crystal clark on 01/15/2009 @ 09:38PM PT
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Discrimination against skin tone for women of different cultures is fairly common. However, I think it is simplistic and American-centric to assume that this is a white people-black people issue.
I suspect in many cases it is a class thing. For example, I'm Chinese American and as a kid my mother was always harping on me to wear sunscreen because only "peasant women who work in the fields look that black." (Class relations in the United States wasn't even on her radar.) When travelling through Vietnam, I realized that even peasant women covered themselves head to toe in stifling heat to block the sun. The palest people were the ones who worked in shops and office buildings. The darkest people were the poorest of the poor, the ones with no land or home, so they could not escape the sun.
In Cambodia, a temple guide shocked me by casually mentioning how no Cambodian could understand why the white French colonialists had seemed so attracted to the darkest skinned farm girls in the countryside, because for Cambodians the ideal of beauty was the pale skinned court dancer. I got the distinct impression she thought the French were stupid.
Finally, an Indian friend once told me that fair skin is prized, because dark skin indicated low caste, or even worse, untouchable. Which he openly admitted was unfair, because untouchables often had the crappiest jobs and the worst living conditions---stuck out in the sun.
Posted by Brenda Ng on 01/16/2009 @ 06:23AM PT
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Thank you everyone for your comments. This is a learning experience for me as well. The more we discuss these issues the more all of us can have a better understand...and a more global perspective.
Brenda: I actually hadn't thought about the class connection when it comes to colorism. Thank you for your story about your mother, that is so helpful.
Now that I remember, I did read a book called The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and one of the central plotlines involves the caste system....won't give too much of it away but i highly recommend the book.
Natasha and Crystal: I think one place to start is to create a dialogue with women of color not just in the states but around the world....communication about this issue is so key. just as we need to talk to our daughters, we also need to talk to each other. Seriously.
Posted by Loryn Wilson on 01/16/2009 @ 07:10AM PT
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Thank you for this great post, I'm really glad people are talking about this issue. When I traveled to India this type of thinking was very prevalent. All of the major Bollywood stars and models are extremely light skinned and some even have blue or green eyes. I hope that with awareness this trend will change.
Posted by Dorothee Royal-Hedin... on 01/16/2009 @ 09:46AM PT
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Brenda, that reminds me of a bit in the "Little House on the Prairie" books where the girls' mother reminds them to wear their bonnets so they don't get 'brown like Indians.' It was clearly considered low class to have a tan, with the tanning craze of mid-last century being a significant shift in white American culture.
And you're right, color issues don't just happen in the US, and they don't just involve people categorized as Blacks and Whites according to prevailing custom in the States. Though we certainly do a lot here to reinforce these kinds of prejudices through our media and cultural output.
Posted by Natasha Chart on 01/17/2009 @ 04:08PM PT
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Every day I feel like I learn something new about how women of all races view themselves. We're not skinny enough, not white enough, not blue-eyed enough... it's frightening. So it's a powerful statement when we see someone embracing who they truly are, wearing their own skin, so to speak, with pride and POWER!!!
My husband saw a cosmetic commercial today for foundation for black skin... he was entranced by the model whose skin was very dark. He just kept saying "I can't believe how beautiful she is." If only there were more faces like this one on t.v. or in the movies, young girls wouldn't suffer to be something they aren't...
Posted by Lisa Smolen on 01/17/2009 @ 09:39PM PT
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As an African American woman who is light-skinned I am glad that you posted this video and decided to write about the concept of colorism. At times within the black community there is a two-sided pressure which exists that speaks poorly of darker women, but there is also the side which questions the validity of light-skin women of color. So it is somewhat a catch 22. The video shown was very dawnting and painful for me to watch because it perpetuates bigotry and colorism. The beauty of being a woman is that we come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. We must ALL embrace this notion.
Posted by Nicole Carter on 01/18/2009 @ 11:57AM PT
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Since I am Indian-American, I am very familiar with the Fair and Lovely line of products. This probably isn't even the "worst" ad (in my opinion).
I always find it soo ironic that while tanning products are available in American drugstores, fairness products are also available in America if you go the South Asian groceries.
Posted by Prianka Ghoshal on 06/17/2009 @ 03:22PM PT
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