1.03.2010

Yes, It Still Matters: Light vs Dark: Updated

This post if by request. Usually when I write posts, its because I want to shed some light on the situation and present a prespective that I feel probably hasn't been thought about before. This time, someone actually suggested to me a perspective that I hadn't thought about before. What this post about, is the age-old debate of light skinned vs. dark skinned. Dark skinned vs Light skinned is a issue that some see as only happening in the black community, but it is an issue in every culture, from Mexican to Indian. I am someone who believes colonization is the root of almost all problems that we have in the world and especially in the US. The main ingredient of colonization was a white, male centric standard. Sometimes, standards can be good, most times they are bad. Yet, having standards is an idea that is seen as appealing to people. However, when we place standards on people that inhibit who they are as a person, the standards become dangerous instead of helpful. This is what the white standard does. It gives everyone an idea to try to live up to, but an idea that they will ultimately never achieve. The white standard, includes an ideal of beauty; thin, long, straight hair, and white skin. Minorities work everyday to try to achieve this white standard of beauty; with weaves, skin bleaching creams, and constant dieting. Minorities, not only try to achieve this beauty standard within ourselves, but we find ways to marginalize those who don't try to achieve, or don't achieve this beauty standard and we find ways to create a hierarchy, with those that have achieved the beauty standard as much as possible. For example, the people who are light skinned and have long hair are valued above those who don't. In addition, we tell fat people to lose weight, we tell those with natural hair to get a weave, etc. We constantly find ways for those who are not apart of the white standard, to try to achieve it.

In the black community, we create the two identities or dark skinned/light skinned as opposing, binary identities and treat them as sub-races. Light skinned, long hair; dark skinned; short, nappy hair; these are believed to be the true identities of the black race. (Read: School Daze) There's a constant fight between these two identities. Now, I'm not here to knock anyone's perference of getting a weave, or dieting or liking a dark skinned/light skinned complexion in a mate, however, we have to understand that the issue is deeper than just preference, its very possible that your preference is because of the influence that this standard has.

This is a real issue in many communities, but we never really hear of any possible solutions to the problems, we just have repetitive conversations about the problem, what do yall think can help solve the issue?