Entry by Lauren Nader

Definition 

Colourism is defined as a ‘form of prejudice that privileges people of colour with lighter skin and discriminates against those with darker skin’ (Phoenix and Craddock, 2022). 

Historical context and contemporary example 

While ‘colourism ’is a relatively new term, the concept itself can be dated back to slavery.

‘In the United States, colorism evolved when the enslavement of people was common practice. Enslavers typically gave preferential treatment to enslaved people with fairer complexions. While dark-skinned enslaved people toiled outdoors in the fields, their light-skinned counterparts usually worked indoors at far less gruelling domestic tasks’ (Nittle, 2021).

This quote is useful because it clearly depicts the difference between racism and colourism. Racism is a form of discrimination based on skin tone while colourism often presents itself as preferential treatment towards people with lighter skin tone. The terms are sometimes misused and seen as interchangable but they should really be recognised as two distinct concepts that are nuanced and complex in their own way. Racism is often defined as racial discrimination on a systemic and system-based level, while colourism is considered to be a more internalised form of racism that occurs within a particular minority group. For example, colourism and skin-tone prejudice are found across Asia. In India, the standard of beauty in popular culture, film and advertising is ‘fair or medium-complexioned, has a narrow waist but wider hips and breasts, and has large eyes, full red lips, and long black hair that is either straight or wavy’ (Gelles, 2011). This unrealistic expectation plays a significant role in the beauty industry, particularly skin-lightening where the ‘market size for “fairness” cream and lotion in India is estimated to be approximately 450 million USD’ (Mishra, 2015, p10). Even when scientists and dermatologists have proven the extremely harmful effects of these products, there is still wide demand from consumers. 

Due to the growing recognition of this, marketing companies and big brands receive major backlash when they are caught reinforcing unrealistic and colourist beauty standards. For instance, skin-care brands such as Nivea and Dove. Mallick argues that ‘we must break through our own collective biases, which inform who we choose to feature and whose stories get told in marketing’ (2021:np). 

Colourism in employment

The University of Texas reported that in the US, ‘lighter-skinned young blacks attain a higher educational level, receive higher wages and enjoy better-quality jobs than their darker skinned co-ethnics’ (Ryabov, 2018, p2). Furthermore, Powell (2017) found that ‘skin tone bias served as an underlying mechanism for attractiveness and affected opportunities for employment and hiring decisions particularly among Black women’. If darker-skinned people are constantly discriminated against in application, interview and promotion processes, not only is their self-esteem is negatively affected but they become even more underrepresented in certain jobs and career level. This can have a knock-on affect on the aspirations of young Black girls and boys. 

Suggested readings 

Nadra Kareem Nittle (2018). The Origins of Colorism and How This Bias Persists in America. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-colorism-2834952 (an interesting insight into the history of colourism within the US)

Young, C. (2010). What Can We Do About Colorism? – Ms. Magazine. [online] Available at: https://msmagazine.com/2010/03/28/what-can-we-do-about-colorism/ (solutions to combating colourism by a woman of colour)

TEDx Talks (2016). Confessions of a D Girl: Colorism and Global Standards of Beauty | Chika Okoro | TEDxStanford. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvoWoMIwr-g (an informative and significant talk by ex-Stanford Business student Chika Okoro regarding her experiences of colourism)

Hall, R. (2015). Who counts as black? [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/who-counts-as-black-71443 

Ryabov, I. (2018). How Much Does Physical Attractiveness Matter for Blacks? Linking Skin Color, Physical Attractiveness, and Black Status Attainment. Race and Social Problems, 11(1), 2.

Questions to ask

1. Have you ever been treated differently because of the tone of your skin?
2. Do you believe that you have missed out on certain opportunities purely based on your skin colour?
3. Do you know anyone who has been a victim of colourism? If yes, what have you done to ensure they are comforted? If not, what could you do if a situation as such approached you?
4. Do you know anyone who discriminates based on skin tone? If yes, have you ever spoken with them about this? If not, what would you say to someone who acts this way?
5. What work do you think needs to be performed in order to reduce the existence of colourism in society today?

References

Gelles, R. (2011). Fair and lovely: Standards of beauty, globalization, and the modern Indian woman.

Mallick, M. (2021). Marketing Still Has a Colorism Problem. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2021/05/marketing-still-has-a-colorism-problem 

Merriam-Webster (2019). Definition of COLORISM. [online] Merriam-webster.com. Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colorism 

Mishra, N. (2015). India and Colorism: The Finer Nuances Neha Mishra Part of the Inequality and Stratification Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, and the South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation, 2.

Mishra, N. (2015). India and Colorism: The Finer Nuances Neha Mishra Part of the Inequality and Stratification Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, and the South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation, 10.

Phoenix, A. and Craddock, N. (2022). Colourism: how skin-shade prejudice impacts black men in the UK. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/colourism-how-skin-shade-prejudice-impacts-black-men-in-the-uk-175786