Blog Post 5 Colorism

Colorism 

    Racism and colorism are extremely closely linked and that this idea is perpetuated in media. Many times, brands feature light skinned people of color as the face of the product, for magazines, movies, etc. and believe that they are being inclusive and showing diversity. This act, however, excludes a huge range of darker people. While the people we see in media might be black, Latinx, Indian, etc., people from these groups with darker skin are very rarely represented. This is proven by the fact that many cannot name more than one or two dark skinned celebrities. One example of this that I remember from the past few years was the casting of Amandla Steinberg in the adaptation of The Hate U Give. Many people were very upset because in the book, the main character had very dark skin, while the actress who was chosen to play her does not. 

    I think for the vast majority of people colorism is not something that is necessarily chosen to endorse. I didn't even realize how little certain groups are shown in media until I took a minute and really thought about it. On the public's part, I think it is more subliminal messaging, rather than outright colorism (I hope) but in Hollywood, it seems to be a very conscious effort. An example of this was discussed in class when we looked at retouched photos where women of color were edited to have lighter skin. 

    Colorism can also be very prevalent at home, among families. It is very common for people in a family to look very different from one another, but when their skin color is very different, this is often seen in a different manner. Members with lighter skin could expect more privilege, while those with darker skin might face more hardship, even though they come from the same background, parents, household, etc. I think this can have a big effect on a family and on children. It can make members feel less connected with one another, because their life experiences are so different from one another. It also may make them feel isolated and not understood, because even people in their own families cannot and will never understand what they are going through and how to relate. 


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