#light skinned privilege

[sbrown82]

'Light-skinned struggle' ain't it for me.

Jesse Williams

[mixdgrlproblems]

Hey, what’s your opinion on proximity to whiteness ordeal and it being smth biracials benefit from? Personally, I feel its bullshit (not always ofc) but it’s ignorant to assume mixed people benefit from having white family members/friends. I have struggled so much BECAUSE of my proximity to whiteness & the greater exposure to racism with no protection from it bc they’re my family. I’ve felt I can’t speak up bc they’re family, it’s made me hate myself & my skin & my culture. Wbu?

whew this is a lengthy and touchy subject. i agree with you though, just because you have white family members, it doesn’t mean you are immune to racism from anyone, especially them. sometimes we hear more racist things from our families than strangers. and not just white family members either. if you’re mixed with black and (insert race here), the latter can be just as anti black as whites, sad to say.

there’s an article i read about a biracial girl who is mixed with black and chinese. with the world being anti black lives matter and now anti chinese/asian due to that man who calls himself a president labeling the coronavirus as the “china virus”, she felt a lot of hate from being a part of both communities. but she’s also shunned by those communities at the same time. she’s not chinese enough or black enough for them and also with her being light skinned she’s dealt with some privilege before all this happened that brought harm as well. i can understand her anxiety and identity crisis.

me personally, i’ve only dealt with privilege due to the fact that i am light skinned. i think that’s what a lot of the proximity to whiteness privilege is based on. colorism. if you can pass or blend in with white people, you have some advantages. i have. but not all of us can say that, light skinned or not, we all have different experiences and different privileges or lack thereof. i’m an actress and the industry is racist like the rest of the world. i’ve questiond myself and my talent due to this privilege. was i cast because i was the best person for the part? or to fill a diversity quota and because i can blend in with the rest of the cast at the same time which is usually mostly white, especially when i straighten my hair? once i started noticing this, my depression got worse and when i didn’t get parts, the rejection cut deeper. people think that yea you got the part though that its all fine and dandy. no. because on top of that i’ve been told my hair is too nappy and forced to straighten it and other racist comments. makeup covered up my freckles or lightened me if i was too tan. i witnessed the most racist things being said to dark skinned actresses and i as well as them were too afraid to clapback or say anything because we’re “just lucky to be there.” but are we?

but yes. lighter skinned people are more represented and that’s part of the privilege. if we have some eurocentric features, the rest gets covered up so we can’t stand out. not many can do that. there’s two sides to every coin though but its not fun being the only token. you’re outnumbered. it’s made me quit the industry and craft i love so much more than once but i keep trying cuz that’s my dream damn it. i can’t let anyone take that from me. and don’t let anyone, even family turn your self love into self hate because of their ignorance. just remember, though you may share some of the same blood, you’re not like them. embrace all that you are in spite of what they say or do. embrace all the good parts, block out the bad and use the privilege you have to uplift and help others who don’t have it at all. please love and be kind to yourself, it’s what they don’t want but most importantly, it’s what you need. xoxo 💋

[attentiondonor]

guys, cardi b has been certified trash for a very long time now. what else has to be done for you guys to realize she aint the one? I don’t wanna say murder because I doubt that’ll even change anything. 

[xmagnet-o]

LMFBAOOOO

Have y’all seen that new romance movie preview with Yara Shahidi?

When will Hollywood finally cast other black women for rolls, more specifically dark skinned black women?? Y’all really stick on 4 black women and they’re all light skinned/mixed.

[thatspookyagent]

LMAO if you were raised in and or were born in a country that has colorism so deeply ingrained into it, that folks that are actually light and or have the slightest tan, would be considered/called "dark" and get called black (or anything adjacent to that in y'all's native language(s)), you should NOT be the ones to deny colorism (or anti-Blackness for that matter) within your home country (or globally), excuse it, or say that it simply doesn't exist or "isn't that bad".

Cause truth is even if folks who aren't considered or seen as dark wherever they go in the world, are getting mad shit for having tanned or LIGHT brown skin, you know that colorism run DEEP where you from for it to be effecting people who are honestly aren't even getting the extreme brunt of it in the first place (at least from a global perspective) or even have privilege over those considerably darker than themselves. So close ya mouths and stop being ahistorical about your own countries history & issues, just so you can shut down conversations about colorism. You look goofy. -_-

[attentiondonor]

If you can always acknowledge dark-skinned men but never dark-skinned women, you’re a piece of shit.

[attentiondonor]

Hello. It’s true, everyone’s beautiful in their own way, but can we please get rid of the notion and belief that just because someone of color is half white, it automatically makes them more attractive or puts them above monoracial people of color or people with two parents of color, which in turn, makes them viewed as the most attractive? I’m not saying this to belittle anyone, but I’ve seen some mundane looking biracial people get praise that fine ass, hot monoracial people can never seem to get unless they look like gods or something.

[moonfirebrides]

If your pro-blackness is colourblind it’s trash