It’s a deeply rooted issue seen across different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
It can even affect the types of opportunities that people are given.
It’s a reality that many people live with each and every day.
Verywell / Madelyn Goodnight
Furthermore, the preference for lighter skin tones is a result of slavery.
The one-drop rule dates back to a 1662 Virginia law that addresses mixed-race people.
It asserts that anyone with even one ancestor that is Black is considered Black.
For example, light-skinned Black people formed clubs that catered only to other light-skinned Black people.
Colorism can occur intra-racially (i.e., within groups) and interracially (i.e., across ethno-racial groups).
It can manifest both interpersonally and systemically, says Campbell.
It can even affect health and marital status.
In ways, the gap between light and dark skin Blacks have been more pronounced than the Black-White gap.
“It is visible in the media and advertising industries,” says Campbell.
“Actress Lupita Nyong’o accused a magazine of airbrushing herhairto look more European,” she says.
The World Health Organization reports that skin lightening is widespread in many African, Asian, and Caribbean countries.
The attitude and acceptance that aligns whiteness with beauty have real-world consequences.
An understanding of colorism will allow you to have more informed andeffective conversations about raceand skin color.
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