Colorism: What you never thought to think about.

Colorism

Racism is discrimination based on race. Colorism is discrimination based on color, or more specifically, shades of skin colors.

Racism is a globally important topic, but colorism is spoken of very little. You don't see it in the news; it’s much more subtle than that.

History

Much like many aspects of racism, colorism is both a conscious and unconscious trend that has its roots deep in history. Oftentimes African slaves who had lighter skin would serve indoors, and those with darker skin would serve outdoors. After the Civil War it was the lighter-skinned Black Americans that generally became more economically succesful in a shorter amount of time. Learn more about the history of colorism here.

Over time great strides have been made in the arenas of civil rights and institutionalized discrimination- but the colorism problem, like many others, persists. It is unfortunately alive and well.

Image courtesy of David Snell

For example:

Take a look at the two magazine covers (right) featuring the same image of the same man- but there’s one obvious difference.

Why did TIME Magazine portray Simpson's skin so much darker than Newsweek? Or is it Newsweek portraying Simpson's skin as lighter than TIME? 

Are both images altered? If so, to what purpose? Does one cover portray Simpson as more ‘guilty’ than the other?

That’s definitely the vibe that viewers got. 

The general public responded to the covers, saying that Simpson’s skin was purposefully darkened to make him look more sinister. The fact that we even associate ‘darker’ with ‘more sinister’ is an obvious indicator that colorism is a serious problem.

Job Market

Studies show that immigrants with lighter skin tones make 8 to 15 percent more money than immigrants with darker skin.

A 2006 study (Harrison, Colorism in the job selection process) shows how skin color amongst blacks is more of a factor in the hiring process than educational background and prior work experience.

Beauty

The implications of colorism though, like racism, extend far beyond the workplace or crime. Pay attention to the next few movies you watch and you may notice a general trend: villains will oftentimes have a darker shade of skin than the heroes. Why? Think about what is often portrayed as 'beautiful' in your country. Can you relate to the quotation below?

“People are very quick to say, ‘so and so is beautiful. They have light skin.’ And i've seen people be judgemental of people with really dark skin. Like they constantly eye them as if to say, ‘you have dark skin and that’s all I can notice about you.’” 

-Shehnoor Grewal, 25

Colorism shouldn’t be placed on the societal backburner, and it starts with you. Be aware. Next time you're walking down the street, conducting an interview or sitting at school be aware of colorism's presence and do what you can to stop it. Check out this video (some language may be considered offensive) to see how everyday people face discrimination based on colorism all the time.



Written by: David Snell, Holly Kendall, and Alex Skinner.