Colorism
prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color
- Alice Walker
Deeper Than Melanin, Andre Woolery
The unequal treatment and discrimination of individuals belonging to the same racial or ethnic minority group based upon difference in physical features—most notably skin complexion (color), but also facial features and hair texture”
JeffriAnne Wilder,
Color Stories: Black Women and Colorism in the 21st century
Color Stories: Black Women and Colorism in the 21st century
The daily toll of living with colorism is inescapable. Darker-skinned people report higher experiences of microaggressions; heavier-set dark-skinned men report the highest levels of microaggressions. All of this affects our mental health and wellbeing. Darker-skinned black women report more physiological deterioration and self-report worse health than lighter-skinned women. Taking all of this into account, I cannot help to think how the weight of history comes to bear on our daily living today.
To be sure, the likelihood that skin color differences assume greater significance in places like South Asia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, where the effects of European imperialism are perhaps most keenly felt, suggests that race and racist ideologies play an important role in creating a desire for lighter skin in these areas. Trina Jones,
The Significance of Skin Color in Asian and Asian-American Communities: Initial Reflections
In Conversation |
