Milk and Honey
Colorism is showing preference to those of a lighter skin color within groups of people of the same race or ethnic background (Cherly S. Grant, 2023, pg.1). It is deeply rooted in African American culture and is bigger than a Black or white problem. Colorism is publicized in television, books/readings and social media. Racism cannot be born into because it is taught not to like darker skin tones because of what they hear or see. “Dark skin people are ugly,” “Dark skin people are mean” and “Dark skin people are violent.” All are false and unethical comments to keep darker skin tones down. People with dark skin begin to hate themselves and even take the extreme by bleaching their skin.
photographer Tatiana Mason
stylist Annabelle Wilke
journalist Jasmine Nolan
director Mariah Thompson
graphic designer Lee Landis
makeup artist Kip Gilbert
models Ryleigh Causey, Aaliyah Davis, Alayna Jones,
Chimazu Ndukwe, Jasmine Nolan and Kristina Wise
photographer assist Sofia Serratos
Growing up as a dark skin girl was not always easy, but luckily, I was raised by an empowering mother. My mom always made me feel beautiful and confident in my skin because she knew I was born into a world that made me hate the one thing I was taught to love. It was so harsh to learn at such a young age what racism was, but learning colorism too, was a whole different ballpark. Colorism is still affecting me, but I have learned how to handle it maturely as I understand it from a different point of view. However, young Jasmine was insecure and too afraid to speak up for herself until I realized my skin color didn’t make me any less than. Speaking up for what is right is so important when dismantling prejudice or ignorant thoughts. I refuse to make myself ever feel that low or insecure about myself again, and I refuse to keep letting young girls experience this cycle.
At age 5, I went to the Detroit Zoo with my mom. She loves to share this story now because she never heard something so cruel being said to a child. At the zoo, my mom said, “Two teenage white boys saw your skin color and started pointing and calling you ‘too Black’ or ‘too dark’… from that day moving forward, I knew I had to raise you to be confident in your skin color.” This was not my only experience as, unfortunately, I have many to choose from. However, the one that sticks with me the most was one particular odd day in first grade at my predominately white elementary school. I was beyond excited to make new friends and meet new people and was so full of life. I was playing with two young Caucasian girls in aftercare until one of them decided I was “too dark” to play with anymore. I remember coming home to my mother crying and upset that I could not make friends just because of how I looked. She was always comforting when talking about these things because she experienced colorism herself. My mom was prepared for the discriminatory comments to show but never expected them so soon.
Representation goes a long way, as it is great to see someone who looks just like you. It can help other young dark skin girls embrace themselves and know that they are just as beautiful as the other girls they are being compared to. My skin glows, my skin tone shines, and my skin is so bright! It is smooth and bright, like milk and honey, and is like pure gold. I am thankful to confidently say I love the skin God gave me. I wouldn’t trade my skin for the world, and I want other dark-skin women to feel the same!
Sources
Grant-Albano, C. S. (2023, April 11). Colorism: Understanding skintone discrimination. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-colorism-5077380.