On 'colorism' and racial discrimination

The following list of articles is a subsection of a larger list, Systemic racism and entrenched social bias. That list, in turn, is Part 2 of On microaggressions and racial issues, particularly in the lifestyle: A resource for white people.

This section is about more than colorism within racial groups. It's also about the way colorism poses barriers to advancement for people with darker skin — and the health risks they often take in order to lighten their skin. It's about cosmetics companies who capitalize on colorism at the expense of their consumers.

My daughter-in-law has been effected by colorism. She doesn't talk about it much, but she does allude to a lifetime of shielding her beautiful dark Filipina skin from the sun.

But my interest in the subject goes back much farther, to a conversation with a Hispanic friend whose family constantly denigrated her husband (who was also Hispanic), solely because of his darker skin.

Some of the information presented below is written for Black people, by Black people. But white people who read the articles and watch the videos will gain insights on what it means to be a person of color in America. Likewise, you're likely to learn more about your own attitudes and reactions to darker skin tones.

• Attack Ads Are Darkening the Skin Tone of Black Candidates, by Bill Lueders, The Bulwark, Oct. 19, 2022. (In this year's campaign ads, GOP candidates with Black opponents repeatedly run ads that show their opponents' skin as darker than it actually is. While the GOP heatedly denies this is anything but a printing error, the ads do play on white voters' negative perceptions of darker skin. The tactic appears to be working.)

• Skin Whitening Products Get a Rebrand, But It Doesn't Erase Centuries of Colorism, by Darian Symoné Harvin, Allure, Sept. 14, 2020.

  "Colorism is the daughter of racism. By understanding this, we can unlearn the Eurocentric beauty ideals that have been forced upon us. As the Black race, learning to love, respect, and celebrate all of our various skin tones is part of this powerful conversation too." ~Beverly Naya

• A Jewelry Company Is Caught Whitewashing A Black Creators Picture, by Jada Jackson, 2! N1nety, Oct. 10, 2022. ("[T]hough this brand states this was simply a filter mishap it can be easy to also assume that they changed the creator’s skin tone to fit with their notion of what is aesthetically feminine. And it didn’t include a Black women.")

• What it means to look Black, by Zeba Blay, Michaela Angela Davis, and Ateh Jewel, Allure, June/July 2021, pp. 80-88. In three compelling essays, these writers discuss the psychological damage they've experienced because of the way others see their Black skin, the barriers they've faced, and how they've succeeded in spite of colorism.

• 41 Women of Color Get REAL About Beauty and Diversity, by Elizabeth Siegel and Lindsy Van Gelder, Allure, Mar. 21, 2017.

• Skin Whitening Products Get a Rebrand, But It Doesn't Erase Centuries of Colorism, by Darian Symoné Harvin, Allure, Sept. 14, 2020.

• The Skin-Lightening Industry Is Facing A Long Overdue Reckoning, by Thatiana Diaz, Refinery29, Jun. 26, 2020. (This article features the experiences of Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014.)

• Companies under fire for skin-lightening creams: "They need to ban the products", CBS This Morning, Aug. 3, 2020.

• One Woman’s Tale of a Lifetime of Discouraging and Demeaning Encounters with the Complexities of Complexion, by Anu Kuma, Hinduism Today, October 1, 2020.

• Combating Colorism Amid a Global Racial Reckoning: An Interview with Nina Davuluri, by Sruthi Palaniappan, Harvard Political Review, Oct. 16, 2020. (includes a video of the interview, plus a transcript.)

• Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri Is Saying 'Enough Is Enough' with Beauty Standards: Nina Davuluri's new documentary, COMPLEXion, explores stories of diversity and acceptance, by Kaitlyn Frey, People, Oct. 30, 2019. (For a link to this multi-part documentary, go to COMPLEXion - A journey around the world with Nina Davuluri, Miss America, Aurora Vision.)

• On Color — and Colorism — In Thailand, Nick Barose, Allure, Apr. 18, 2021.

• COLORISM THE DOCUMENTARY "HIStory", "a documentary of colorism from a male aspect." A YouTube video, uploaded Apr. 22, 2019.

• Shades Of Her: A Commentary on Colorism, a YouTube "documentary that explores the nuances of skin tone in African American women in a unique and poignant way. By utilizing both dance and expression, the viewer sees and hears women share their stories of how the color of their skin has affected their lives, how they see themselves, and how they interact with others." Uploaded Nov. 10, 2017 by Melanin3 Media.

• How Skin Tone Affects School and Workplace Outcomes, a short YouTube video uploaded by Own, Jun. 23, 2020.

• Light Skinned Privilege, a YouTube video featuring Franchesca Ramsey, MTV Impact (formerly MTV Decoded).

• This 11-year-old launched a business with her sister to combat racism—and it’s taking off, CNBC, Jul. 17, 2018. (Update: As of Apr. 17, 2025, FlexinInMyComplexion.com is still in business.)

• What Dark-Skinned People Will Never Tell You, uploaded Jul. 6, 2016, to the BuzzFeedV channel on YouTube.

Return to On being white in today's America, (part 2 of On microaggressions and racial issues, particularly in the lifestyle: A resource for white people.)