The saying is “Black Lives Matter” not “Black LIGHT SKIN Lives Matter”! Believe it or not, colorism is still a thing and it’s especially apparent in black media.
Let’s think back to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. We were excited to see that aunt Viv was melanin-rich, in your face, and spunky- she was us! But then, she was replaced by a more subdued, softer, and light-skinned character. Did the media directly or indirectly make a distinction between what they felt a dark-skinned and light-skinned woman represented? Either way, it felt like a slap in the face- we wanted dance battle aunt Viv!
Fast forward to music artists of lighter skin being more “popular” on the charts or deemed more “beautiful” than their darker-skinned allies. Need we say it? Beyonce and Kelly! Please don’t get us wrong, both are beautiful ladies, both can sing, but it seems like Kelly got lost in the shadows of her sis. Did complexion play a role?
Are you a fan of Love & Hip Hop? If so, you’ll remember reggae artist, Spice who posted a photo in 2018 sporting extremely lighter skin. The media was in an uproar! But, there was a method behind her madness. She wrote:
“I chose to do this in the manner I did because I believe Colorism is plagiarizing our black community.” “There are dark skin women across the world complaining every day that they are being downplayed and degraded, but the raw truth is it is us “black women” and “black men” that are fighting against each other and tearing down our own race.”
Leaves us wondering, do darker-skinned women have to make bold moves to be seen!?
Now let’s bring it to 2021 and Music artist Dani Leigh’s song “Yellow Bone”...yes “Yellow Bone”. With lyrics like “Yellow bone that’s what he wants (What he wants, what he wants)” two questions arise: 1) Was Dani intentionally celebrating colorism? 2) Should she have to censor celebrating her own skin color? The fans and the black community were mixed. Some were extremely pissed and others supportive that she should be able to admire her skin. In the end, she received so much backlash that she had to release an apology video for her “lack of sensitivity.”
Darker or lighter, no shade is better than another, and yes, you should be able to celebrate your beauty and that includes your skin color. OUR black is beautiful! Shop our “Born To Beat The Odds” apparel and let the world know you were born this way!
