Light VS Dark
Preferences cliaage
By L’Asia Brown
Features Editor
Achieving the closest thing to physi
cal perfection is a battle fought by most
adolescents at one point their lives. Hor
mones that rage because of puberty of
ten have the ability to bring teen girls to
tears over the tiniest, most insignificant
flaws, whether it is hair that isn't long
enough, thighs that aren't thin enough
or feet that aren't small enough.
These events are relatively normal
for the average young person, and
he/she is usually expected to become
happy, secure, and comfortable in their
own skin by the late teens or early twen
ties. Unfortunately, there is an underly
ing standard that exists among us, that
doesn't go away after we graduate from
high school. This runs deeper than just
wishing to be skinny, or longing to be
more voluptuous. It is an issue that deals
with each subculture's views on beauty
and perfection. We are dealing with the
issue of complexion. Unfortunately, the
color of our skin is governing more than
we bargained for when we involuntari
ly inherited the traits of those who came
before us. Today, in many communities,
whether you are on the light or dark side
of the pond will have on impact upon who
is attracted to you, how far you will get in
your career, and how you are treated.
When I walk into Macy's, I am greet
ed by each generous young lady at each
make-up counter. 1 quietly and intimately
browse through each counter, excited at
the new spring color schemes and mois
turizing products. One thing I do notice,
however, is the lack of products that cater
to the darker skinned women of this town.
1 shrug it off as an economic strategy. A re
tail business must cater to its majority con
sumer, from which dork skinned women
may not be at Macy's. It doesn t require
a political or social analysis; I'll just go to
Belk's or Target. Or maybe I should stop,
take note, and wonder about the fairness
of tailoring product stock to meet demo-
graphical statistics.
When I listen to horror stories of re
jection and ridicule due to complexion,
I believe I am lucky to have dodged this
biased portion of America. I have never
knowingly had to fight a battle with color.
I was taught from a very young age to be
proud of my complexion. Coming from a
Caribbean family, my dark brown skin ac
companied by my jet black, wavy hair has
always been a trademark of the flavored
roots that I am not able to escape. I have
remained confident, happy, and mostly
successful in all my endeavors, academi
cally, socially, and career related. When
I arrived to North Carolina in January
of 2005, I received a major wake-up call
from the south. I realized that our history
is still our present in many areas, and if we
don't make a cautious decision to change
our mindsets, we will do serious damage
to future generations and our own oppor
tunity for advancement.
For decades, races have been stuck
on color. Being "light-skin" in the African-
American community is the definitive. Being
"tanned" in the white society is preferred.
Being "fair-skin" in the Hispanic culture is
superior. Being "stark white" in the Asian
locality is distinguished- Since when did
complexion begin to have such an effect
on the affairs of the 21st century? Each
individual history differs, but the most pro
found yesteryears lie in the pasts of blacks
and Hispanics. During the period before
the Civil War, when the majority of blacks
in the Americas were enslaved, color be
came a tool of notable advantage. Men
and women who were employed inside
the residences of slave masters, farmers,
and frontiersmen were treated fairer, less
violent, and possessed higher privileges.
They eventually earned more free
dom and respect. These workers were
able to avoid the scorching sun of the
southern region. Their complexions were
able to remain soft and glowing, which
produced a lighter undertone. The males
and females with "soft skin" that worked
inside the slave-owner's house, were en
vied by the darker, brazened workers
of the fields. This was the beginning of a
separated people. Many enslaved women
were raped and voluntarily impregnated
by white slave masters, producing mixed
race children who can be identified by
caramel to peachy complexions and curly,
sometimes sandy hued hair.
Mixed race children became the norm
in southern communities, but they divulged
and multiplied with other African Ameri
cans of various tones, and began the de
velopment of our beautiful color wheel.
When blacks finally were finally freed as a
whole after the collapse of the Confeder
acy, lighter skin African-Americans found
themselves less susceptible to the harsh
punishments of Jim Crow law violations
or victims of unnecessary, retaliation vio
lence. Lighter skin men and women were
given small jobs and property quicker than
that of blacks who resembled their Afri
can forefathers. Society knew when they
looked at a black individual of a lighter
tone, that they had some type of biologi
cal connection to a member of European
descent. They were still trepted with the
same discern and threatened with identi
cal discrimination, but were given leeway
in their opportunity.
Fast-forward about 75 years. Slavery
is long gone. And the color issue is worse
than ever. Lil Wayne will only speak of
"Bad Yella Broads" (yellow referring the
resemblance of a light skin woman's skin
undertone to the sun). Women are tell
ing their precious little girls to "stay out
of the sun" or marry a light skin man for
the sake of their own children, who dare
not face the world armed with a brown
complexion. Casting directors of music vid
eos are instructed by rappers to seek out
the lighter models, who seem to capture
the audiences with a deeper sex appeal
and affection than that of a dark skinned
woman. Yeah, right.
African-Americans have overcome
barriers of oppression, discrimination and
a variety of glass ceilings. It's about time
we got over the tone of our skin, and began
focusing on the quality of the soul. There
are beautiful, high achieving, respectable
citizens who range from light tawny hues
to deep cocoa shades. There is nobody
upon this earth who specifically requested
during his or her tenure in the womb, to
be birthed with a deep brown or light
caramel complexion. We have no con
trol over the genes passed through us,
we can only govern the type of people
we wish to be. Light skin citizens are not
always the enemies. Dark skin citizens
are not always the victims. We need to
begin an era of judgment solely upon
the content of character, instead of the
amount of melanin (bringing up biology
terms) a man or woman may or may not
have embedded in the cells.
Talent, creativity, ability, intellectu
ality, and will are just a handful of the
vast array of attributes that can make
somebody appealing far beyond their
physical offering. We are a great, ac
complished people, perhaps much too
wonderful to allow the presence of com
plexion discrimination segregate us fur
ther. The suppressive culprit employers,
educators, and corrupt leaders will only
take advantage of this complexion seg
regation as long as we allow our own
selves to be consumed by it.
If we con ban together as a popula
tion undivided by no force, we can make
higher progress. Our colorful diversity
gives us a strong advantage, and our dif
fering histories give us flare and spice.
Let's use this array of complexions among
our race to our advantage, and quit en
gaging in a war that was lost a long time
ago to the rise of the freedom, liberty, and
justice for all.
FACTS ON COLORISM
- The "brown paper bag
test" was a ritual once
practiced by certain African-
American and Creole fra
ternities and sororities who
discriminated against people
who were "too dark."
That is, these groups would
not let anyone into the
sorority or fraternity whose
skin tone was darker than a
paper lunch bag, in order
to maintain a perception of
standords.
Spike Lee's film School
Daze satirized this practice
at historically black colleges
and universities.