Is Whiter Better?

Sandra Rose November 25, 2009

Skin whitening products have been all the rage within certain cultures for decades. But now advertising for the products have gone more mainstream — and more brazen.

This ad touts whiter skin as more socially acceptable, and assures us that our lives will get better if we smear the junk on our face.

I feel sorry for black people who can’t embrace our African features and feel the need to lighten their God given complexion to appease morons who prefer LSLH chicks.

Some black chicks go the skin lightener route when our skin darkens from exposure to the sun. The remedy is to apply sunscreen lotion or creams with high sun protection factors like SPF 20 or SPF 30 to block the harmful UV rays that wreaks havoc on the melanin in our skin and causes the cells to multiply rapidly on the surface of our skin.

Yes, blacks need sunscreen protection more than whites. Do your research, people.

mirsmommy

Hell no whiter ain’t better!!!! >:(

Get it together self-hating a** negroes…
waterlily_76

I love my smooth and pretty brown skin
Anna

C’mon Sandra, you know “white is right”. LOL. Not sure why they used that women for the ad, if her skin were white or brown “the eyes tell”.
kcicero

Sandra do you really need to ask?! Hell no! We are all equal in the eyes of God…
shannon04

@waterlily_76….I do too. Who wants to look the way most of these YT women look when they age?? Especially the ones that smoke cigarettes now while young, they will end up looking a hot dragon face, turkey neck mess. Look at the face,neck and eye area of an older YT women and the skin on some of them. I wouldn’t want to be anything but black.
jah

global white supremacy has done a number on the psychological of the global afrocoid family.

many will verbalize that white isn’t better, but the constant and subconscious behavior pattern say otherwise. the rise in skin bleeching products also says otherwise.

when a collective group of people have been subjegated and dehumanized for hundreds of years, and made to beLIEve that the lens through which they see themselves must be that a european one, subCONsciously they’ll continue to define their humanity and the essense of who they are from the eyes of their oppressors!

we are a psychologically damanged people, and unless and until we can begin to admit that we are, we will live in denial like sammy sosa and likes of mj, and countless of black folks from north america, to south america, to the mother continent
Divinebrown

I like my eyeball white…and my teeth.

beyond that…I’m happy with what God gave me.
LovelyLady

Whitter aint better CARAMEL is lol. (j/k)
waterlily_76

@ shannon

“looking a hot dragon face, turkey neck mess.”
you almost made me spit out my soda :lolol:
jah

kcicero Says:

Sandra do you really need to ask?! Hell no! We are all equal in the eyes of God…

———————————–

No we are not. it’s like folks who say the weak and poor will inherit the kingdom of god. MUCK inheriting some allusive kingdom of a terrestrial being while our formers oppressors map out our future.
LovelyLady

No we are not. it’s like folks who say the weak and poor will inherit the kingdom of god. MUCK inheriting some allusive kingdom of a terrestrial being while our formers oppressors map out our future.
————-
*Scratches Head*
shannon04

@waterlily_76…my bad:-D
shannon04

@waterlily_76…my bad
VIBABY

Singing my favorite Queen Ifrica song….
My complexion is betta than eeever
Mi nah go bleach it out so…
It betta yes it betta than eeever…
Brown skin, a nuh fi everybody so bleaching you fi stop it from you do that to you skin that mean seh you nuh love yourself…Jah mek you perfect so no judge yourself
Puuuull uuuuuup! lol…good mawning….
sharnell

Sandra, thank you for pointing out the need for sunscreen and blacks. I remember as a child living in Spain and I went on a school trip. By the end of the trip I was peeling in my face and back, and my skin looked like it was burning. They called my mother and made her take me to the hospital. The doctor told my mom that I was sunburned. She burst into tears laughing and ask the doctor if he knew I was black (Charcoal, exactly). The doctor explained that the complexion of your skin has nothing to do with whether or not the sun burns it! I was teased for many years when I would go out and apply my sunscreen (highest number that could be found) at the beach. Even now my family still thinks its hysterical!
ReadTheBlog

The Indian (Asia) lady that does my eyebrows sells skin whitening products in her shop. I love my LSLH self, but I wish, sometimes, I was more brown. I think brown skin is beautful! OMG When it is moisturized and glowing and just magnificent it it’s own glory!

:woot:

You people are :lame: to bleach yourselves out.
ReadTheBlog

Sharnell, I use sunscreen, too. me and my babies. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but he’s never been burned. It hurts!
Anna

ReadTheBlog Says:

The Indian (Asia) lady that does my eyebrows sells skin whitening products in her shop. I love my LSLH self, but I wish, sometimes, I was more brown. I think brown skin is beautful! OMG When it is moisturized and glowing and just magnificent it it’s own glory!
~~~~~~
I’m with you. I am hating on my kids because of their beautiful carmal color.
kcicero

@ lovelady why even respond?
Anna

ReadTheBlog Says:

Sharnell, I use sunscreen, too. me and my babies. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but he’s never been burned. It hurts!
~~~~~~~
Sunscreen is not just to prevent burning, before hubby goes on the boat fishing he wears a straw hat and sunscreen and he has brown skin. Skin cancer does not discriminate. Sunscreen is also “sunblock” to block out the ultraviolent rays.
kcicero

@ RTB & Anna

I feel so bad for my son, he can’t even frollick on the beach with just his swim trunks even with FOUR freaking layers of sun tan he still gets sun burned really badly…I’m still struggling to understand why he’s lighter than his daddy
missy

Jah says:No we are not. it’s like folks who say the weak and poor will inherit the kingdom of god. MUCK inheriting some allusive kingdom of a terrestrial being while our formers oppressors map out our future.
——————————–

*scratches head along with lovely lady*

Any way as much as I can say I love my skin there are still a lot of people in this world who hate there skin because in many cultures dark is viewed as bad and the lighter you are the prettier you are in there society………..But at the end of the day I agree with @Kciero”We are all equal in the eyes of God…” but many individuals need to get this in their head.
missy

oh Morning all have a nice day…….
jah

why would anyone be shocked that some blacks need sunscreen? with european blood running through most of us ( especially those outside of the continent) it makes sense that some of us would need to block the healing power of the sun, cuz that european milk has weakened the strength of the coffee.
kcicero

morning missy! are you on twitter?
Divinebrown

YO’ EYES ARE BLUE BUT YOU AINT WHITE….YO’ HAIR IS STRAIGHT CAUSE YOU PRESSED IT LAST NIGHT….
kcicero

I’m that the new attention seeker goes away…
missy

@kciero no im not on twitter and i’ll the attention seeker goes away also…
southernbelle

I’m LSLH and am very happy with my complexion. But wouldn’t want to be lighter…heck, I even tan from time to time to get a nice golden glow.
Divinebrown

PLEASE TELL ME YA’LL SAW THE VIDEO OF PAULA DEEN GETTING BUSTED IN THE FACE WITH CHRISTMAS HAM?

I HOLLERED….

Even though, whoever threw it needed to get beat down.
Anna

Divinebrown Says:

PLEASE TELL ME YA’LL SAW THE VIDEO OF PAULA DEEN GETTING BUSTED IN THE FACE WITH CHRISTMAS HAM?

I HOLLERED….

Even though, whoever threw it needed to get beat down.
~~~~~~
I love Paula, It was not on purpose, she wasn’t paying attention. I told my daughter Paula got hit with the swine flu. LOL.
jah

do our afrikan cousins who have an almost nonexisten cancer rate have some special magical sunscreen they use to protect them from the sun?

if so they need to start making some serious money on that by selling it to especially whites folks who are enemies of the sun.
missy

@DB yes i saw it and i couldn’t laugh at good ol’ Paula Deen getting hit in the face…..but she is nicer than me she actually hugged the dude………

That is why I like Paula because she is like ya favorite grammy that makes you laugh and would feed you food that is tasty……..
mirsmommy

I remember this chick I used to work with was a serious self-hating black woman. At first, I thought maybe she just going through a phase, but the phase never ended. It was sad. She was truly a black girl lost. She was really dark-skin, but her skin was flawless, I mean no blemishes what-so-ever, and she was dying to be light-skin. She wanted a nose-job, she wanted to get all types of surgeries, etc. It was truly effin sad

Me personally, I find beauty in just about everyone. I would even try to give her compliments, but she was indeed LOST!!!!!
kcicero

@ divine and anna did she really, lol!
http://www.facebook.com/renz.renegadesince1985 renegadesince1985

@ VIbaby

You brought me back with that song! hahaha! SELECTAAAAHHHH PUULLLL UUUUUPPPP!!!!!
Anna

kcicero Says:

@ divine and anna did she really, lol!
~~~~~~
When you unload a truck it’s a assembly line. They were tossing the Ham(down the line)from person to person and you know Paula likes to talk and was not paying attention and got hit in the nose.
mistarie

Does this apply to your girl RHIANNA too Sandra?
lovinme

As a white woman I do not get it. I mean I am the palest one in my family we are Italian and my mom and brother have that nice Olive skin naturally.WHile the rest of is look like chalk in the winter!

Not that I dont love myself but if white is so right, why every summer are there blonde hair becky girls laying on the beach for hours ( i dont do it my mama aged beuatifuly cause she dont and I wont). But really I see so many white women that turn orange trying to get tan…reallly….

I also have a friend who is a beautiful dark skinned woman and she does not see her true beauty because as a child she was always picked on for being dark… She is beautiful wish she could see it!

But anyway I dont get the whole skin bleaching thing and why people would sell it or buy it but I have no idea what they thing or feel when doing this….

These companies target their markets especially women play off of emotions and imgaes and throw all kinds of “beuty” products at us that change the natural beauty we were born with. Nothing wrong with enhancing it but why ruin ur beauty ……
Quitta

I love my caramel colored skin. Especially in the summer when I tanned. OMG!! I got that Indian reddish brown look to my skin. Anyway, I could never see myself doing that.
pyt305

I hate seeing ppl who bleach their skin (using a cream called Topiclear)and for what?? They end up looking ridiculous. Be happy the way God made you whether your light, brown, black, yellow,etc. Just be happy!
jah

lovinme Says:

But anyway I dont get the whole skin bleaching thing and why people would sell it or buy it but I have no idea what they thing or feel when doing this….

These companies target their markets especially women play off of emotions and imgaes and throw all kinds of “beuty” products at us that change the natural beauty we were born with. Nothing wrong with enhancing it but why ruin ur beauty ……

———————-
when a collective group of people have been told and have been brain washed by an economically and military dominent group of people that the very essence of who they are as a people must be dispised, and to be programmed to beLIEve that equality means being close to white in every way possible leads to a collective mental illness. this illness is not uquique to the children of afrikan slaves in america. the sickness affects brown and black people globally. you see it in india, south america, and even afrika.

in brazil, europeans created over 130 different racial categories with the most desired being “pure white blood” what ever the hell that meant. in puerto rick, they had over 30 racial categories; mexico had over 16; the list goes on. in all these categories the goal was to be as close to white as possible, so many darker blacks when above and beyond to achive that superior euroean looks, because in their brain washed and psychologically damanged minds minds, white equated to better opportunites, and more acceptance.

don’t you think years of such negative programming of self hate can disorient a person or a group of people minds?

the people who had a great influence in the creation of the collective minds of black and brown people know how to exploit them, or make them exploit themselves.

those companies make such products because they know the people they are dealing with. the numbers don’t like, cuz bleeching product/industry is a booming business.
natrlbeauty08

I don’t really see how skin bleaching is any different from relaxing hair….
Anna

@lovinme & mirsomommy, ppl think because you are light skin/white in me and my sisters case that you are stuck up, we are far from that. My sis and I know many dark skin females that did not value what they had. We were so jealous of their flawless beautiful dark skin. It’s funny because sis and I had to find the blackest men to date/marry. I think when you are light skin you want to balance it out if you have kids and sorry but I didn’t want any high yellow kids. Just like the dark girls that I knew didn’t want any dark babies so they went after the white/light/yellow guys.
http://createspace.com/3393054 iscream

I don’t even think White bread is better.
lovinme

@jah…..

umm yeah i agree i think…..
lovinme

@natrlbeauty08

I see a difference now I know they both do damage but ur hair can usually grow back or recover, but your skin once u bleach it isnt it pretty much permanent?

@iscream

LMAO yeah im i like Italian Bread….
But really not even Wonder Bread or Sunbeam?
What about potatoe bread..well hell thats yellow…

OKAY Lunch time.

@anna

of course i cant say I know how that feels, but i do understand it.

For example my daughter who is biracial wants to have hair like me… I tell her girl no you dont yours ir beautiful think and long (mind its hell to maintain but i dont say that to her). I try to stop the negative thoughts about herself (she is only 5) but I know society is always going to have her feel some find of way… my bad i went off base a little.. But i try to teach her to love herself for her. And i never let her here me say how I am unhappy with myself werther its little wait gain or a flat ass! lol
mirsmommy

@ Anna

She was such a sad case. I wanted to for her. I just couldn’t understand it. I mean she was truly effed up in the head. She was into goth, had all white friends (nothin wrong with that), but she had the nerve to tell me one day that she was an athiest, and she and her white friends burned a small cross on her dining room table!!!
>:(

Yes, she did say the bull ish, I told her she was the biggest a** in captivity, and called her a house n*gger. I couldn’t believe she said that mess, but I still went home and prayed for her lost behind, though.
mirsmommy

lovinme Says:

For example my daughter who is biracial wants to have hair like me… I tell her girl no you dont yours ir beautiful think and long (mind its hell to maintain but i dont say that to her). I try to stop the negative thoughts about herself (she is only 5) but I know society is always going to have her feel some find of way… my bad i went off base a little.. But i try to teach her to love herself for her. And i never let her here me say how I am unhappy with myself werther its little wait gain or a flat ass! lol
———————————————————-

That’s good that you encourage your daughter to love herself no matter what. Our (meaning us as a whole) children need to know that regardless of “society’s” way of thinking, we should still be happy with what we have.
natrlbeauty08

lovinme,

No, the top layer of skin is dead cells just like hair, so it will grow back. People that bleach have to continuously do so in order to maintain the lighter skin color.

I just think that if people are gonna call people self-hating for lightening their skin, then permanently changing the texture of your hair should also be considered in the category.

For the record, I’m not anti relaxer or anything, but I still think it’s the same concept.
jah

natrlbeauty08 Says:

I don’t really see how skin bleaching is any different from relaxing hair….

—————————

you right it’s not. it’s all part of the package. who wants to have nappy kinky hair when you can have silky straight hair? again, just like dark skin, we have programmed to beLIEve OUR NATURAL hair isn’t to be desired.

@46lovinme ,

i don’t expect you to agree. i’m just laying it out like it is. I didn’t write your people history or my people history. you think black and brown people have a color complex cuz it happened by accident?
http://facebook.com/renz.renegadesince1985 renegadesince1985

I don’t think that this is a “whiter is better” thing. Some White people pay hundreds of dollars a month to go to tanning beds or buy spray tans to be darker. They get collagen in their lips for them to be fuller. I think it’s just an overall obsession with looks. Why can’t we all just be happy with the way God made us?

The other day some guy bought me coffee at Starbucks, the girl behind me made a comment to her friend. Something like: See, that’s why we don’t have no black men available in Atlanta — half of them gay they other half tricking off on these LS bitches.

Seriously? I was heated. I wanted to tell her where she could go and how to get there… but I maintained my composure and simply stated that maybe the reason she couldn’t get a black man in atlanta was because of her stink ass attitude.

Some of the issues we have within the black community have been indoctrinated into us by society. It has always been believed that lighter = better because that’s what has been handed down since slavery. Willie Lynch knew how to keep black people down, and those things he wrote about are still being used against us today.

Wake up people! The energy we spend hating on each other, we could use to do something positive for our community.
http://facebook.com/Im2thick4u 2thick4u

Love my beautiful caramel skin !!!

This ad seems like a joke…I hope !!!
http://dahoneyhive.blogspot.com ryand91

SMH, I love my chocolate skin and the guys do too. And if a guy doesn’t like it, he’s an idiot. I wish I would bleach my skin, those bleaches contain carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals). Owwwwww
http://createspace.com/3393054 iscream

I think the difference btw a relaxer and skin lightner is that the majority vs the minority.

Majority of people perm their hair to make it more manageable. Have you ever tried to comb some nappy hair. (See color purple) that shyt hurts. Its eaiser to style relaxed hair. Now what’s the reason for someone making their skin lighter?
mirsmommy

@ iscream
jah

I don’t think that this is a “whiter is better” thing. Some White people pay hundreds of dollars a month to go to tanning beds or buy spray tans to be darker. They get collagen in their lips for them to be fuller. I think it’s just an overall obsession with looks. Why can’t we all just be happy with the way God made us?
——————————

@renegadesince1985 , only a mentally challenged person (whites and non whties alike) would believe that white is better, however, if HIStory is our whitness, one group of culturally dominent people have used their culture hegemony and thier CONtrol over information to tell most of the world’s non white population that the way god made them is not to be desired, while secretly they have envied the shades of black and brown. hence, tanning, risking cancer, etc. but we must remember that the insecurities of europeans is not due the systematically destruction of their psychology of others.

naturally as humans we all have some insecurities, but our mis-education and psychologically programming manified ours big time.
http://facebook.com/renz.renegadesince1985 renegadesince1985

@ Jah

agreed
VIBABY

Relaxing your hair is not the same as bleaching. Some ppl do it because it is just easier to maintain. Every black woman with relaxed hair or a weave does not have self hate issues. I cant say the same thing about people who bleach their skin. My hair is natural and some days I am just sick and tired of it. Like ISCREAM said, that shyt hurts and it is not as easy to manage as some would like you to believe.
LadeeA

AND WE KNOW THIS MAN! (Chris Tucker’s Friday voice) White is right and out of sight
lovinme

jah Says:

4@6lovinme ,

i don’t expect you to agree. i’m just laying it out like it is. I didn’t write your people history or my people history. you think black and brown people have a color complex cuz it happened by accident?

——————————————————

First it wasnt meant as an insult to so dont take it that way. I didnt say you were writing anyones history and I never ever said that color complex hell body complex alone just happened.

I said I think I agree cause your statement was very in depth and I was hopin I didnt misinterpret it. And I didnt so there is no need to be all defensive…

What are my people exactly?
lovinme

jah Says:

however, if HIStory is our whitness, one group of culturally dominent people have used their culture hegemony and thier CONtrol over information to tell most of the world’s non white population that the way god made them is not to be desired, while secretly they have envied the shades of black and brown. hence, tanning, risking cancer, etc. but we must remember that the insecurities of europeans is not due the systematically destruction of their psychology of others.

naturally as humans we all have some insecurities, but our mis-education and psychologically programming manified ours big time

________________________________________________________

agreed…..

A white woman tans for cosmetic reasons she plumps her lips (why i dont know fuc a needle in my lip) for cosmetic reasons. Some white women go to extremes to enhance themselves for cosmetic reasons not because they have been lead to believe the way they were made was wrong.

These women and men that bleach their skin i think do it for far more deeper reasons that cosmetic…

Thats what i been trying to say, just not as well written as you have. Over here trying to not get caught at work on the internet! lol
lovinme

@natrlbeauty08

Well its good its not permenant, i saw a show a long while back where a woman bleached her kids skin. I think she was going to stop thank god…. I always thought it was permenant glad its not…
SweetP1984

Loving the skin that I’m in. The closest I get to bleaching creams is cocoa butter, to keep my skin nice, smooth and even tone.
LadeeA

@iscream- HELL YEAH relaxing makes it more manageable. My hair is thick and on brillo pad status and if I don’t relax this sucker, I will be crying trying to comb it and I have a tender head, I cry just from scratching it. I’m also high yellow and I have nice full black features, full lips and a full nose. Everyone in my family is dark and beautiful with no wrinkles and no blemishes and only a couple of us came out light.
LadyLioness

Come on Sandra, I’ve done my research and blacks do not need sunscreen more than whites. Our skin absorbs all spectrums of light. Sunscreen actually inhibits the melanin from performing properly to protect the body from harmful energy. The sun is only harmful to those who lack sufficient melanin and those of us with a bad diet.
WatsonElite30

I must say I was really surprised when I first learned about people that have color complexes within the same race. Of course, I first learned about it in high school. While I do understand everyone has things they’d like to work on as we are not perfect, I can not imagine being ashamed of my skin color. I think it’s quit sad. I’ll go on a limb even and say the way you’re raised plays a huge part in the confidence in your being, thus your skin color.

Overall, this bleaching stuff is stupid as H#$%!!!! In partial agreement with LadyLioness, I never read, or learned that we needed sunscreen more than white people. However, I have read its safe depending on climates. When I lived at home (Chicago), we used sunscreen, Vaseline, anything to coat the skin and guard it from bite. Here in Atlanta, I find it’s good to use when its very hot even though its highy unlikely I’ll get burned
natrlbeauty08

@Iscream I agree, I do think that the main difference is majority vs minority. It’s more accepted by the majority for your hair to be relaxed, but bleaching isn’t. Natural hair isn’t that difficult to style (or should I say style in a way that’s natural for the texture), but people just haven’t done it because they don’t learn how to.

@ViBaby I’m natural too and trust I know the feeling of wanting to cut it all off because you feel like dealing with…but I felt that way about my hair when it was relaxed too. I think most women do, though…regardless of the texture.

Women of all races go through all kind of pains for their hair and actually for beauty period. We all do things to make ourselves more attractive. I don’t think that changing your skin color is any more different than changing your hair texture or eye color. It’s done because the body part in it’s original form is less desirable. You can classify that as self hate if you want, but don’t single out just bleaching as being negative when they can all be taken that way.
mswarrior1

It’s crazy this story was up today. For the past week I’ve been writing a sociological literature review for African Americans the “colorism” (skin bias) that is presented.
It’s not just Blacks self-hate, it goes WAYYYY back. All the “mulatos” were consider more “civilized”, etc because whites perceived them as closer to them. It also doesn’t help that the only images that are shown around us are those of Eurocentric resemblance. Hopefully one day we’ll be able to realize that all the self-hate, and discrimination against OURSELVES due to the pigment of our complexion is actually an issue and not something to be pushed under the rug.

Random tidbit: It’s actually proven by many controlled surveys that light skin women get more education, more income, and better educated spouses. Just something that stood out in my research.
LadeeA

I am lightskinned but I love me some blue black brothers. I’m talking purple black, straight from the motherland. My husband is dark and beautiful. My mom is dark and beautiful and she said when I was born my family thought she picked up the wrong child cause I looked like a Korean alien. But the men and women in my family are dark and beautiful, no flaws in their skin. I have tons of freckles just around my nose and trust me I will wrinkle early, because light people just do. My mom is 50 and my grandmothers are 70 and 77, NOT ONE OF THEM HAVE WRINKLES.
brucebaner1

LadeeA – Black don’t crack!

mswarrior1 – do you believe that the lightskin women in the study (or lightskin women in general) received better education, and men because they were lightskin? Do you believe they had more opportunities because they were light?

To all lightskin members – do any of you believe you had it easier because of your complexion?

To all darkskin memebers – have you felt any discrimination because of your complexion?
Anna

To all lightskin members – do any of you believe you had it easier because of your complexion?
~~~~~~~~
I am a employers dream. I am a black woman trapped inside a white woman’s body. Hire me and you kill two birds with one stone. I am black and female. The world thinks because you are light you have it easier but in reality it’s not always what you know but comes down to who you know.
brucebaner1

Anna – it’s definately easier if you know someone and you are lightskinned or a trapped in a white womans body…..lol….
wiggy2272003

Jah agree with SOME of what you say # 10 wholeheartedly thats some shit for those in charge to keep the poor from a revolution. So is Christianity in part. To answer question # 32 its not magic but they have Shea Butter which is a natural sunscreen.

Agree with both points a of it is cosmetic. White women use skin bleach too for brown spots. Some people who would never want to alter thier skin tone get pregnant and get the “mask” and it doesn’t go away. I got it. so they use these products to EVEN OUT their skin tone not completly lighten it.
the Majority of women do relax thier hair because they want it straight. There are plenty of styles that are natural and easy to maintain. But I don’t think its to look white. there are many different styles for straighter hair than natural.

67

chinese women mutilated thier feet in a quest to be desirable. Asia is the largest consumers of skin lighteners. There is no white black issue at all going on there.
texarican mamacita

@jah

30 different races in Puerto Rico?

I have never heard this before, I am Puerto Rican, went to school there and am currently studying the Puerto Rican diaspora in terms of feminism. Could you please provide me with some kind of source for this new info because I really want to know where you got this from. No shade but VERY curious…..
texarican mamacita

correction: “30 different racial categories”
mswarrior1

mswarrior1 – do you believe that the lightskin women in the study (or lightskin women in general) received better education, and men because they were lightskin? Do you believe they had more opportunities because they were light?

——————-
Hm. That was part of the study that I couldn’t quite correlate to the skin color. I can understand jobs offering more money (“hidden racism”, and also believing that a person of lighter skin doesn’t “act black”), but in relation to education I don’t get. In the study that I read it said that of the women that were surveyed the lightest woman had almost TWO years more of formal education than the woman with the darkest complexion. Statistics can always be twisted, but I just don’t know. I’m trying to do more research outside of my paper to see WHY light skin women received more education.
Now with the men…That I can believe. Men have the biggest color bias; we all know the typical LSLH stereotype. Black men just subconsciously considered a woman with lighter skin to be more attractive.
Since I’m of a light complexion, and my mother looks like a white woman with slight tan LOL, I can definitely say those with light skin get more opportunities. At the last job I was at, I was the first Black employee there, I doubt if a dark skinned woman with the same background/qualifications as I had would have gotten that job. While my mother and I were having a conversation about this, she also has said she’s gotten many more promotions, etc and doubts that someone much darker would have gotten those.
Whites just see light skin as more “acceptable”. A person with dark skin and more “African” facial features is offsetting to them.
misslee21

Naw I like my skin color..wouldnt change it for nothing!
brucebaner1

mswarrior1 – I believe the education difference comes from confidence. Light skinned children are told they are beautiful from birth. Which leads to confident children. The dark skinned children are ridiculed. Which leads to insecurities and lack of confidence. Who wants to face further ridicule and discrimination in college. Thats where I think the disparity lies in education; confidence. Not only are are features offsetting to white people, I also think African features are more intimidating. Paul Moody said it best: when we “look” relaxed (our hair) white people “feel” relaxed. I think the same goes for our skin color. This is why I feel light skin = easier struggle (I know kinda sounds like oxymoron!)
Anna

I want to know the ages of the women in this study. I don’t have a college degree but now and days kids know they have to get a education to make it.
mswarrior1

@brucebaner1:
I can see that. I think I was only able to really see it from my point of view since I’m light complected. So, if I was of darker skin I could completely understand why. I wish more Black families these days would pay more attention in encouraging their children to be themselves and love who they are, rather than leaving them to think that they’ll never be good enough just the way they are.

@ Anna:
The study (for the stats) was done in 1980 with the National Survey of Black Americans. I just looked at the article again at the mean age was 43.

And although most young people (myself included) know you must get an education to do ANYTHING in these days, some may stop at just a 2 year degree, but they think that’s “enough”.
LadeeA

@brucebaner1- Yes for me being light-skinned has had many benefits but it also has it negatives too and at times the negatives can be worse than it is for dark-skinned people because we’re in between. I would have to explain my experiences to support my comment. But I agree with you 100.
H.B.I.C

Its not just Blacks Sandra! that chick in the photo is Asian. Asians, Indians and the forever in denial Hispanics do this as well. Meanwhile “Becky’s” tanning, getting booty injections, boob implants, wearing extensions and get more black stick than black women! Go figure.
LadeeA

@H.B.I.C.- U are tellin nuthin but the TRUTH!
Anna

mswarrior1 Says:

@brucebaner1:
I can see that. I think I was only able to really see it from my point of view since I’m light complected. So, if I was of darker skin I could completely understand why. I wish more Black families these days would pay more attention in encouraging their children to be themselves and love who they are, rather than leaving them to think that they’ll never be good enough just the way they are.

@ Anna:
The study (for the stats) was done in 1980 with the National Survey of Black Americans. I just looked at the article again at the mean age was 43.

And although most young people (myself included) know you must get an education to do ANYTHING in these days, some may stop at just a 2 year degree, but they think that’s “enough”.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for the info. I am 42 and don’t have a degree. Like I said, kids now and days do know they need more than a high school diploma to make it(because parents tell them, “you don’t want to do what I do. Use your brain”) It use to be you could get a factory job paying well and retire, not anymore. My 24 yr old will get her Masters next month. My 20 yr old will transfer her credits next yr and go to another college to get her BA. I have my BS certificate and so far it has been working for me.
Anna

brucebaner1 Says:

mswarrior1 – I believe the education difference comes from confidence. Light skinned children are told they are beautiful from birth. Which leads to confident children. The dark skinned children are ridiculed. Which leads to insecurities and lack of confidence. Who wants to face further ridicule and discrimination in college
~~~~~~~
All parents tell their child they are beautiful. Why is it that the ugly brothers have the most confidence and get mad if you don’t want to “holler back at them”. You turn into a white/light skin b*tch in two seconds. Why is it that the overweight girl with nothing to offer anyone thinks that she “has it going on”. because her mom instilled in her that she was beautiful. We believe what we are told and taught. I am not saying that being a white looking female that I did not believe what my parents said or taught me but the world is cruel and ppl are cruel. It’s like being the middle child(which I am) the blacks back in the day didn’t know how to accept a biracial child and the whites were not going to claim you. I have a great aunt that when “we come to dinner over my uncles house” she leaves. I have always identified with my black side than my white side, which is crazy because my (black) dad is a only child, there is no black fam that we grew up with besides my granny(his mom). Let me phrase that differently. I just grew up being me. I did not grow up black or white. My parents did not make us choose a side, but made sure we knew we were loved and raised us in a neighorhood with kids that looked like us. My parents did not have to tell us about the “one drop blood rule”. We knew we were special and it’s society that reminds you that you are black because of the “rule”.

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