Colorism has gained traction in the last few years in popular culture in the film and music industries. Some examples include music lyrics from rappers and film casting from actors and actresses. There are several definitions of colorism that I have found during research all with similar verbiage. The more recent definition of colorism resonates with me the most. Dr. Sarah L. Webb of Colorism Healing, LLC defines colorism as “the social marginalization and systematic oppression of people with darker skin tones and the privilege of people with lighter skin tones” (2021). This definition captures the affect and benefits of those impacted by colorism.
Research highlights the impact of colorism in individuals. “...darker skinned individuals report lower self-esteem (Coard et al., 2001; Robinson & Ward, 1995; Thompson & Keith, 2001), lower body satisfaction (Falconer & Neville, 2000), and more depression (Monk, 2015) than their lighter skinned counterparts” (as cited in Landor & Smith, 2019, pg. 804). Wilder and Cain (2011) found that maternal figures (e.g., mothers, grandmothers, aunts) were the primary disseminators of colorism. These women indicated that they learned to associate darkness with negativity and lightness with beauty (as cited in Landor & Smith, 2019, p. 805). Landon & Smith (2019) noted that hurtful name-calling bullying taunts based on one’s skin tone also has a long history in colorism literature. Labels for dark skin were often derogatory, whereas terms for lighter skin were more positive (some exceptions labeled lighter skinned individuals as “stuck-up” and “shallow” or suggested that these individuals “think they are better” than their darker skinned peers (p. 806). Colorism impacts each area of our well-being including physical, emotional/mental, and spiritual areas.
Colorism can be conceptualized through Harro’s cycle of socialization. Harro (2008) describes several areas that highlight how we as humans are socialized and how we are impacted by those socializations.
Harro’s first area is the beginning. In this area, he discusses how we inherit biases, prejudices, habits, traditions, etc., when we are born into the world.
The next area is first socialization. Harro highlights in this area that we are socialized by the people in our lives that we trust and love. We are taught how to play, interact with others, and which rules to follow. Harro stated that these people shape our self-concepts and self-perceptions and our worldviews.
The next area is institutional and cultural socialization. In this area, we see that we are presented with messages about who should have power and who should not by the institutions that we encounter. These institutions include education, religion, medicine, just to name a few.
The next area in the cycle is enforcements. Harro describes these enforcements as the system of rewards and punishments that keep us following the rules and those who do not follow those rules are punished or victimized by discrimination.
The next area is results which lead to bad outcomes for those who do not have power. The final area in the cycle is continuation, which is the result of those of us that do nothing to interrupt or change the cycle (pp. 46-52).
Colorism is a social construct that was created to keep marginalized and oppressed people from accessing and gaining power and knowledge. Colorism can be seen in our institutional and cultural systems. Colorism is perpetuated through enforcement in our everyday lives. If we do nothing, we are part of the colorism problem. Colorism can be eliminated if we work together to bring awareness to it, challenge and disrupt the systems that perpetuate colorism and change our beliefs and attitudes towards skin-tones.
I leave you with these reflective questions to ponder about colorism: when did you first hear and see colorism in action? What were your first thoughts and feelings? What did you do with those thoughts and feelings?
References
Harro, B. (2008). Cycle of Socialization. In Adams, A. (2018, 4th ed.), Readings for diversity and social justice (pp. 45-52). Routledge.
Landor, A.M. & Smith, S.M. (2019). Skin-tone trauma: historical and contemporary influences on the health and interpersonal outcomes of African Americans. Perspectives on Psychological Sciences,14(5), 797-815.
Webb, S. (2021). Definition of colorism. https://colorismhealing.com/colorism-definitions/
Janeisha Hood Rogers is a doctoral candidate in the counselor education and supervision program in Chicago, IL. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) that has worked as a therapist in various settings including schools, community mental health agencies and in-patient hospitals. Janeisha is also a social justice advocate and enjoys raising awareness and educating others on mental health topics, social and cultural issues, and holistic healing