Darkskin vs Lightskin: A Candid Convo Pt I
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- Опубликовано: 19 авг 2024
- i have wanted to have this convo for a long time. While I am older and this issue affects me less than it did in the past, I know for many it is still a VERY sore spot and I hoped that some candid convo may help with the healing. I am looking forward to reading the comments like you wouldn't believe
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• LIGHT SKIN VS DARK SKI...
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The dark skin girl is soooo pretty 😍😍😍😍😍😍
Super Girl she's gorgeous, I like Shannon as well, I can tell honey in them jeans was hiding alot as well
Yes
Andre E *of course someone would say this*
Both are beautiful
I used to be that guy that kind of shunned dark skinned girls, despite being dark myself, and praise light skin girls, latinas, Asians, almost anything but dark skin. Those were during my stupid, ignorant immature days. Now being 20 years old and maturing, I don't shun any type of girl but I find myself really attracted to darker women. Before I would say I would never date a dark skin girl but now I'm like jeez, I would marry one if I found that she was right for me.
+strengthOVERsize That is good. It does show maturity and gaining knowledge. Back to the old quote... Don't judge a book by it's cover :)
unfortunately there are a lot of black men that still feel this way. I have a question, do you know why you felt this way about dark skinned black females?
+Truth Be Told great question. I'm curious
+Truth Be Told Its because of the girls I grew up around in school. In the area I lived in, a lot of them didn't conduct themselves in a mature manner. Mind you, I'm speaking about girls in my generation because my mom is dark skin but in my head I was basically telling myself that the ones in my generation was lost. Then I got older and met black women outside of the little bubble I lived in and I watched more dark women on RUclips from time to time nd my perception changed. To me its like how women say all men are dogs but they say it because they date the same type of guy over and over but then their perception changes once they start seeing that there is actually better out there. So I would say it was a lack of experience type of problem. I judged all black girls and for some reason, especially dark ones based off the girls I would see in my schools screaming in the halls, yelling at teachers, skipping class to smoke weed, dressing in ways that I found "ghetto" etc. Couple that with me being young, that's why I said all black girls, especially darker ones, are the same.
+strengthOVERsize wow it's great to see that you have embraced all of Gods wonderful art work that is women - we are beautiful in every shade. I love your response to the question and the comparison :)
It'd be great to get a convo with "black" voices from across the globe. It usually boils down to the American perspective and yet it's way more universal. Great conversation beautifuls.
+Shameless Maya True. In South Africa, there is a big difference between being black and coloured (mixed). The video is fun to watch but none of this is very relevant in the global conversation of light skin and dark skin.
This is such a great video and such a great conversation with u both!
But for me being a light skin woman growing up in the south with a lot of racism and then going to private school with mostly white privileged children in Cali; there wasn't too many days that I wasn't reminded that I was black, no matter how light I am
+Ambers Closet Thats true as well now that you say that. I also identify with Shannon. I always felt like I was too light for the black girls, and too dark for the white ones. :/
+Jacqueline Roberson That really sucks when thinking about it.
I feel the same way
I hear ya
this is sad. I guess I've allways been attracted to women regardless of shade (Or nationality, culture). I'm dark skin and I had another darks kin friend say "I don't date dark skin women because there pubic hair is nappy" I said "which makes yours and ya mommas nappy" last conversation we ever had.
Lol
Leron Henderson 😂😂😂😂
Leron Henderson lol.....that's exactly what I would have said......
🙌🏽
Jack Ripper true right but the next thing u know they dating a dark skin
It's crazy how black people have to go through this when in actuality black people are literally the most gorgeous people in my eyes. Look at them they're both beautiful. I hope one day we will realize our beauty.
In Africa, even though there are plenty of women who want to achieve lighter skin, you're not made to feel inferior or less beautiful if you have dark skin. Yes, light skin is seen as beautiful but dark skin isn't seen as ugly. I grew up in a white area in England and white people literally don't judge you based on your complexion. You're just black - not light or dark. This issue never even crossed my mind until I was exposed to African American culture through rap music and RUclips. I'm glad I grew up completely oblivious, a light v. dark mentality can be poisonous.
You made a really good point, white people don't judge us based on our skin tone, we are literally all just black to them. They must think we're crazy for debating over who's "blacker". It is actually funny to think about their confusion.
+simply.s Very true but the first part of your comment is a bit incorrect though. You are made to feel inferior if you have dark skin. it's not as bad as other parts of the world, Caribbean being the worst for me. I'll just say that my siblings(brother and sister) are both light skin and i am the only dark skin. In Africa my sister was always picked over me in almost everything because she was more fair. In the Caribbean(Bahamas) i remember crying and asking my mom if i am beautiful because people would constantly laugh at me, tell me my sister looks better than me, and etc. It made me resent my own sister. I then moved to Toronto, where luckily there is a lot of diversity. I grew up and learned to love myself here. It's crazy and ironic because in America i felt more accepted than both African and Caribbean (where majority are black/dark).
+simply.s Yea. Dark skin is seen as normal unless you are darker than Lupita. Even then, I don't know if it is a negative thing, I just know that people will assume you are from South Sudan. Dark skin is normal, but you desire to have light skin. Here in the US, light skin is the "norm". In Africa, dark skin is "the norm" but you're happy to be lighter skinned. Also, in Africa there is such a thing as being TOO light. Unless you are actually asian or caucasian, there is a limit to how light you want to get.
Blessing D Interesting. I do think there is a preference and a more 'exotic' view towards fairer complexions, but I've never seen a demeaning attitude towards darker skin. And where I'm from you can find people who are blue black! But we all have different experiences
Idk if ur African or spent time in Africa buy colorism is a huge thing. Just like in America and the U.K., Africans don't see black as beautiful
Shout outs to all the men who have been practicing non-discriminate thirst for their entire life. We the real MVPs on the streets. We give hot lovin to all you ladies. Hit my IG to talk if you care to discuss further
Awesome comment :)
+C.KHiD True stuff man, pretty is pretty.
+C.KHiD ^What he said. Fuck your light skin vs dark skin beef. Come at me, ladies!
+HokutoAnsatsuken 👀👀😂😂
👏👏👏👏👏
(SUPER LONG, But not many darkskinned women's sides have been expressed in the comment section so if you care.. keep reading)....
I love that you talked about this Shannon. As gorgeous as you are I would have never thought your skin color was something people saw as negative. No offense to any lightskinned person but I see A LOT of lightskinned people talking about how they face discrimination being lightskinned but being light and called "not black enough" is NOT the same as being darkskinned and being called "ugly, tar, shit, burned, or manly." Some lightskinned women may have been "singled out" due to their color but that was within a group of people you knew / were around. When you log on to social media, the world is not making fun of YOUR skin color. No one calls a light woman "pretty for a light skinned woman". Dark men, Light Men and Light women have all had their fare share of times coming down on the looks of a dark skin woman together. When a darkskin woman has an opinion about a lightskinned women we're told we're jealous. We can never have a valid opinion without people thinking there's a negative reason behind it. It’s basic things like make-up concealer and foundation shades and the “nude” color that should remind you guys how ignored you’re not by society. I just felt that part was something that needed to be added. Yea we're all black but lightskinned discrimination is not the same as darkskinned discrimination, in any way. Then also, according to a lot of Black people, darkskinned women aren't allowed to be mixed. It really pisses me off because there are LOTS of BLACK / DARK people in other countries but no one pays attention to that. Apparently people think only if you're light skinned with LONG loose curls and chinky eyes then you being mixed is validated. My grandmother is Cherokee, she and her father are SUPER LIGHT, lighter than Shannon. but if I say I have Cherokee in my family, all of a sudden it's like "no, you're lying". Also, I’m Guyanese, just like Shannon, but people look at me funny, why? Because THEY don’t know there are at least two different kinds of ways Guyanese people look. JUST LIKE Trinidadians there are straight up Indian looking ones and black looking ones. It's all ignorance. Speaking for myself though. I can’t be jealous of a lightskinned woman based off of her skin color. It doesn’t make sense to me. I LOVE my skin color and no one has EVER been able to make me feel about it. Luckily for me though, I was never made fun of, at least not to my face, at least not until social media got popular.
The funny thing is there are so many more examples to be given.. so many more.
+Tanisha Williams Don't mean to be picky, I agree with everything u said, but please refrain from using the word "chinky" it's a racial slur
On point, Tanisha
+byoung4eva1 Idk where you're from but where I'm from it just simply means asian like eyes, nothing rude or derogatory about it. I've never heard it/ seen it described in any other way. Also I think other races can have eyes like that so I'm not even talking about once race in particular.
+byoung4eva1 but calling someone eyes slant is not a negative thing. That's a direction in which the eyes point. I understand where you're coming from but at the same time it threw me off because I've never known it to be described any other way.
Tanisha Williams Actually, Asian eyes aren't "slanted" though. Nor is it a direction. It's just their normal eye shape, that ppl made "weird"/slanted when they described it. That's like someone describing our hair as nappy, which is a negative word historically, and saying "Well it is nappy!", when u explain to them why it's offensive historically. Asians can become offended if u describe something they naturally have as "slanted". I mean, if their eyes are "slanted", than what direction does our eyes point to? U get what i am saying? But yeah, i think the correct way to describe their eyes in the least offensive way is to just refer to it as "Asian eyes" or "almond" eyes. I hope you understand what i'm saying and where i'm coming from truly though
Light Skin and Mixed Race are 2 different things.
Being mixed race having 1 white or a non black parent is a different lived experience to light skinned black women with 2 black parents.
It's sad how many ppl didn't point that out. She isn't "light skinned" as far as what it means to black ppl. She straight up biracial! How a biracial girl, no matter the skin tone, gonna represent a BLACK light skinned woman?
***** Most black Americans are probably "mixed" somewhere "down the family tree". She is not "light-skinned" she is straight up biracial. And a biracial female can't tell u how it feels to be a BLACK, light-skinned female, just because they may share the same skin tone, doesn't mean they have the same experience. For generations, society has been using biracial women to represent BLACK women, which is a problem. That's where this video is flawed. They could've gotten a light skinned black woman, or made this video about biracial struggles. Not mislabel it, and misrepresent ppl
+byoung4eva1
I agree with everything you said, my thoughts exactly. very problematic..
ThatsMia I don't see how they honestly sat down, and decided biracial equated to being a light-skinned black woman.
That's not exactly true at least in America if two so called "black" people creates a light skinned child there's more than likely a good amount of non black dna in them but besides you don't have to be light skinned to be mixed. Also I'm a product of two so called "black" people but I'm very light. I never identified as black because I did my research and learned that I'm clearly multiracial and I identify as such but I have a sister that's lighter than me and she identifies as black but it just depend on the person but I for one don't identify with one race
Great video! I'm a dark skinned woman and from my experience AND from my observations of the world, light skinned women STILL have an advantage over dark skinned black women and the black men still would choose the lighter over the darker. It's all about having light skinned offspring with "pretty hair" and light eyes.... I also know that light skinned women secretly feel they are prettier than their dark friends/family but they will never admit it. :) I would love for her to interview me!!! I love this topic!!!
As a lightskin person, I used to feel insecure because I was taught that not only lightskin was "better" but curly hair and light eyes were apart of that. I have coily hair and a rather broad nose with dark brown eyes. I'm not mixed either. I used to say "I'm not lightskin enough" or "I'm don't fit in the category of being lightskin." But now, I'm confident in who I am!
Me too! I'm in that category too. I'm not even mixed but lightskin and I used to feel very insecure as I didn't look like other lightskin girls.
loved these topics you both touched on... heyyy girl makeba!!!!!
NaturalNeiicey OMG! I love you noticed!
This is always an interesting conversation. I'm also the product of a light skin mother and dark skin father and me and my sister are both dark skin. Growing up I was the black girl who was always told "you act/talk white" (which is a whole other conversation) and I just wanted to be cool with the "cool black kids" and at my schools the cool/popular black kids were both dark skin and light skin. So idk. I feel like both sides judge. And yes at the end of the day we may all be black however I've noticed that some people use that as an excuse to not talk about this issue of colorism within the black community.
+Brittanie Scott YES I AGREE WHOLE HEARTEDLY
I definitely agree with the comment about black men struggling with complexion issues more than women. In the past I dated a guy who would constantly compare our skin tones and even tell me he usually goes for fair skin women. And the compliments from strangers were even worst "you're cute for a dark skin girl" not to mention the nicknames people would give me "blacky" it bothered me so much but it forced me to love myself even more. No matter our skin tone we should all love one another. it's not like we even had a say so in what our exterior would look like.
Nemira Brown I heard many men get that from their mothers
Andre E black mother’s loveeee dark skinned men though
In the end skin is skin
Thank you :)
Someone is smart :)
Krew Jam ikr people act like they have a choice. One day you get born out of nowhere and the next day you have to worry about something as stupid as skin tone haha
Healthy skin is what matters more....
Amen preach NONE of THAT should matter!!!! We ALL mixed because of slavery!!!!! An NOW due to modern times sooo many inter racially mixed couples havn mixed kids we ALL mixed
As a biracial woman, this touched a sore spot with me.. I grew up in a white community as the black girl.. Then I went to high school and I was jumped by dark skinned girls because I wasn't black enough.. I feel like a lot of light skinned biracial, multiracial kids are subject to very deep-rooted identity issues for not being enough of one race to satisfy people. We can recognize the struggle of being a dark skinned black woman in a melting pot community while also realizing that our struggles are the same but different. The judgment we can receive from mainly the people we struggle to identify with, can be very damaging.
Being a mixed girl myself, I experienced the same things too. well said!
I also had a similar experience to you and it hurts to feel like you not accepted anywhere.
Lol then why comment? *****
this was well said..i my self have had a similar experience and being biracial
Light skin women cannot relate to dark skinned women. Fuck out of here!
Hurt people, hurt people.
I think there's a difference between being light skinned and being biracial. And i think the reason Shannon probably experienced hate in a HBCU, not because she was light skinned, but because she is biracial, and biracial ppl are kinda seen as the "better" (for lack of a better word) "black" person, by society. Even in commercials, biracial ppl are chosen to represent "black" beauty, rather than just getting a black person to represent it. Personally, I have never been jealous and/or felt resentment towards a light skinned black person, nor towards a biracial person, though i have seen ignorance coming more from them regarding darker skin complexion and being black, than i have from brown to darker skin complexioned black ppl. I have seen brown to darker skin complexion black ppl put their own skin tone down, whether directly or indirectly, but hardly ever did i see them putting down a light skinned or biracial person, even if they tried they couldn't, because at the end of the day, their skin tone was seen as ugly/less desirable. And that's what i don't think ppl understand, light skinned, and/or biracial problems aren't being dismissed as if they don't exist, but at the end of the day, society supports you guys even if u are getting picked on in your actual life, whereas darker complexions are getting picked on by society in general, whether directly, or through the media. Sure some lash out in jealous towards lighter complexion, but not all do. We all need to support each other at the end of the day, but i think the brown to darker skinned complexion need extra uplifting
Mrs.Opinionated C'hey
Even though they look the same, they are not the same...if that makes sense. I think this video would've made an even bigger impact if they actually got a light skinned black woman. Just imagine if they used a dark skinned biracial woman to represent a dark skinned black woman, that would've caused all types of problems in the comment section
Mrs.Opinionated C'hey
Most black ppl in the US have some native, and/or white in their blood line, and we are called "just black". The "big deal" is that for generations, biracial ppl, and/or light skinned black ppl that were so light u think they were biracial, have been used to represent "black beauty"/speak for black ppl, instead of just getting a black person to do it (no matter the skin tone). Which is why many black ppl, women in particular, felt like they weren't beautiful growing up. It's would be nice to have BLACK women of all skin tones, and hair textures, be represented, is that too much to ask? No. And biracial ppl shouldn't think that just because black ppl are uplifting themselves that they aren't "black enough" to join the movement. They can join in SUPPORTING black women/ppl, but not act like it's all about them, and that they can relate. She can't relate to being black, just like i can't relate to being biracial (even though i have different races in my bloodline).
it's usually the lightskinned people with their natural hair whereas a lot of darkskin girls hide behind fake hair, that's probably why more of them are considered more attractive.
You would be surprised on how many compliments a black person gets if they go out with an afro
Keyboard Warrior First of all, most black women, whether dark or light skinned, don't "hide" behind fake hair. They use fake hair, because just like relaxers, jheri curls, texturizers, that's all we've been taught. I've seen just as many light skinned girls with fake or relaxed hair, as I have dark skinned. This movement is effecting every black person, no matter the skin tone. And second, please, hardly any black women were wearing their natural hair before, no matter the skin tone.
+byoung4eva1 thank u for that clapback lol
As a light-skinned woman with red hair and freckles I have found my blackness in question by other black people. Some of them want to swear you aren't all black just because you have a fair complexion and have features they don't see very often. You feel like you have to prove you are just as black as the next person.
thats actually a good thing
I love red hair, rock it sis!! 😄
That dark queen is everything........
They are both GORGEOUS !
I absolutely love this conversation. Colorism is a conversation that needs to be had.
They are so beautiful y'all just proved that both light skin or dark skin or mixed or just gorgeous its just how u present your self
Lets be real. In this WORLD the more European a woman looks the more she is considered beautiful by the general public. The more you are considered beautiful the more privileges you will receive. Shannon has a light complexion, colored eyes and "good hair" so she is going to be awarded more privileges. And although Makeba has darker skin, she still has European facial features that help her to be considered more beautiful (For example, she might hear the very famous "You're pretty for a black girl"). These two perspectives will be much different from that of a very dark skin woman with more African facial features.
I wouldn't say Makeba has European features. Her nose, lips, and skin are all representative of the African phenotype, and yes she is Beautiful 😁
Sad world.
Abena Boateng where?cause west african sub Saharan's look nothing like both of these women unless mixed,lightskin guys and women will always be favored over darkskin its like this in every race on the planet
How does she have European facial features????
Very true.
I am brownskin and I get hit on no matter what. Even dressed down with a hat slapped ALWAYS get hit on by both black and white men.
My female parent is light skin. I never envied light skin because I was blessed with natural sexiness (without having to try) and beauty. Thank YOU Holy Father!
Good for you
+Pretty Candy why can't you just say mom instead of female parent???...
***** You caught that!! Long story. She is super evil like Charles Manson. A sociopath That's all. I stay away from it, and I am happy.
+Scopps94 Thank you. I wish the same for all women. We just have love ourselves and ignore the negatives.
You both are beautiful with awesome complexions and bomb ass hair 😍😍😍
Yep, black is black doesn't matter which shade. I like to get someone's view based on their perspective.
She is what I consider regular brown skin. Shannon is definitely light skinned to me. In fact, I don't always identify with her as a black person. Like I don't even think about what race she is. And she could "pass" for something else if she wanted to (in life or for an acting gig) because of her other physical features. Lupita is what I consider dark skin. And there are even darker shades than her.
I totally get that we all have our own definitions, I've actually been told I'm too light to be lightskinned ha! But Makeba identifies as darkskin so that's what she is. She discusses it in part 2 :)
Boody Wuuuttt? There's a part 2? Yay! Also, yes I believe everyone is whatever they identify as. If she says she is dark skin, I will not deny. I can say "Really? You consider yourself dark skin! I never would have thought that" but it will not take away her identity!
I this is an old video but Makeba is considered Brown skin in the Black community, outside of that the White community considers all browns, tans, caramels and Yellow peoples to be darker skinned. Makeba and Shannon both look like Black women to me, and to Shannon's point about being hated by people who don't even know you ( your own people) and being dismissed because your lighter with light eyes etc., I can totally identify with that, thank you for bringing that up regarding your experience at Townsend.
I live in Europe and come from a historical mixed background. My parents are immigrants from Africa. Travelled through Africa alot so I know we do not all look the same. The woman on the left to me is darkskinned and yes you can always find people who are darker. The biracial woman on the left I would consider lightskinned and I have them in all shades in my family. There is so much that comes into play, features, eyecolor, hairtype. Out of the two I would consider the biracial woman to have the most prominent "black" features like her eyeshape, nose and lips.
Both of ya"ll are fucking beautiful.. Deal with it!
Both of you look amazing to me!
Dark skin is just so yummy tho
I totally understand where Shan is coming from as a light skin woman......dark skin sistas make it hard sometimes, but I love you all and we light skin women do get it... we're not the problem, but we can be part of the solution. I do not entertain black men who think they are impressing me by saying 'I don't date black women' ....WTF?
Sim Simma do you enjoy the attention darkskin men give you?? Would it bother you if darkskin women got more attention from men??
Andre Eli. Excellent Question.
??
5:48 " I dont feel like you need to love yourself by hating something else" This is so true.
Gesh that girl on the left is a beauty
My mom is light skin as well, and I don't have a resentment but sometimes I do question if I have a complexion problem. Because I use to have a fear of being darker, I use to "defend" myself and be like I'm not that dark. But it's really annoying when people are shocked that my mom is light skin,or when I'm with my mom people think I'm her niece. But I don't have resentment for light skin women, because I've developed this appreciation for the black women, that if you're biracial,light skin, any shade of black I love you and I want to see you prosper. What I have developed sadly, now that I'm in this predominantly white institution is a resentment for white women who like black men. because up until now, I have never experienced a black man not liking me because of my complexion. And now they're straight passing up not only me, my friends, and most of the black girls on campus. This is something I have to move past, but it is a different feeling.
I loved when Makeba said, can't ppl love themselves without hating someone else, in order to love themselves. The need to bring another down to feel validated is too common of a problem in the world.
I really enjoyed this video, and the message of being human first. I met my husband in high school when I was 17, he is black (very black) and I loved him more than anyone else in the world! However I have experienced 25 yrs of racism from black people when we attend black functions, and at first it hurt my soul so badly!!! I love people of all races and put myself in circles that contain so many different races because I love them all, they are all uniquely beautiful. Thank you for entering this realm of discussion. 💋❤
+Maria Sheppard I can only imagine Maria. That's not okay and needs to stop. Thank YOU for sharing
Maria Sheppard aww man I'm so sorry you experienced that bulk crap.
Thanks so much for making this video! What you said about being surprised when you're accepted really hit home for me because that's the exact feeling I get. What makes it worse for me is that I know the darker skinned ladies in the room have to go through some serious bullshit via the media and even other black people telling them they aren't beautiful. Obviously I wont trivialise my experience because I've had racism from all races thrown in my direction and been told I'm ugly etc. But I can not imagine what it is like to be bombarded every day with the message that your natural state is not acceptable. Sometimes I wish we could do some freaky Friday swap so my dark-skinned friends could see how truly beautiful and amazing I think they are, inside and out.
We should always team up, light or dark skin whatever! UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL!!
PS: the all subject about men preferring light or dark skin girls is really specific to the US I think, we dont' have this issue in Europe (the UK, France or Belgium etc). How can we explain that? Such a shame :(
Light skin. Dark skin. Idgaf these two could get it all day every day.
Finally a well articulated conversation on the subject. Bravo ladies :)
Beauty comes in all colors. If you are beautiful on the inside you are by far way ahead of the game of life.
Ugh, Shan. I really love you so much! I've always struggled with feeling too light, I'm one of two light skin people in my family and I always wanted to be tanner, I loved the summer!! Now I'm happy with my skin tone and have accepted myself and don't think much of it.
Powerful video. It's crazy how y'all have had similar experiences in reverse. Both of you are beautiful women, thank you for posting this.
LOVING THIS!!! This needs to be a movement in itself. Spreading love and acceptance to ALL races!!
Right!!! don't feed into it!!! It goes, for Men & Women. Get to know self-love and U will be able to give love!!!! Because, guess what? We're all the same and want pretty the same thing. Get to know one another and talk to each. I'm so proud of these young ladies. Totally awesome
I love this conversation and it's interesting to hear your perspective as a light skin woman. I found my confidence in college because in high school I was overlooked. I truly believe that skin tone has nothing to do with beauty. These feelings we have go back 100s of years ago as we know. Surround yourself with people who celebrate you. It took me time to get over my insecurity about my dark skin. I want us all to love who we are and how we look. I made a video about how this. Check it out let's keep this conversation going.
I celebrate you no matter what your complexion is.. And I subscribed.
OMG, so much beauty in one video, SHEESH !! I feel like, even tho I've experienced discrimination as a mixed woman, I also vicariously feel some type of way for my dark skinned fam too...
This is a great video... and thanks for pointing out how prejudice black men are about skin color I feel like no one mentions that
Carmel cone most men just want an ATTRACTIVE woman, light, dark etc...the women are more concerned with skin, hair etc...
Thank you for this candid convo. I feel everyone needs to watch convos like this whether you are black or not (I for one am asian) to better understand and learn to empathize with our community members who are not of the majority, who do not look like us to better understand and learn the thoughts and struggles of others...
I learned so much from watching this and really appreciate women being so honest and real with each other, and allowing opportunities for us to listen and learn from our unique experiences and ask questions BC that may be uncomfortable to ask but are born out of of a positive intention to learn, understand and love. So beautiful! Thank you both - BEAUTY INSIDE AND OUT.
I'm half Mexican, half Jamaican. I have a similar complexion and similar hair to Shameless Maya and I look very "mixed". I have been discriminated against by black, white, and Hispanic people. I'm only 19 but growing up I moved around enough to realize that how people see me is subject to change every where I go.
I'm really glad that you guys had this conversation bc now it makes me feel like I'm not alone on some of the struggles I've been through. I'm 14 and both of my parents are mixed but my dad is dark skinned and black and my mom isn't black. My brothers both have somewhat darker complexion than me and I've always been told that we don't look related bc of our skin or told that I'm "too light" to black or "too dark" to be any other race or my hair type isn't long or a pretty kind of curly like other mixed girls to be mixed but not curly enough to be black. I've grown to resent my mixed heritage and I hate being asked about it now. It's one of my insecurities and I feel inferior to others who are fully one ethnicity. But this video makes me hopeful to one day be more accepting of who I am like you two so thank you. ^-^ 💖💖
Now THIS was a great and respectful conversation on colorism. Bravo. There are other channels out there that are furthering the pain on both sides and twisting the knife wounds. But this video is what healing looks like.
Colorism is basically racism within our own race. At the end of the day we are all black. They're are beautiful/attractive people amongst all shades and ugly as well. It's terrible that we have allowed each other to feel a certain type of way about something we can't change. I'm light skin and I love my skin color but darkskin is very beautiful to me as well. I never felt better than anyone because of my skin and discrimination does happen amongst light skin ppl as well. For example... " you're only pretty because you're light skin" ... I've heard that once or twice but it's just as hurtful as someone telling a darkskin person they're ugly or less attractive because they're dark...whatever the case may be we are all hurt by it at the end of the day. If we don't want to be discriminated against by other races we have to stop discrimination within our own, especially since the blending of races is becoming more prevalent.
Such an important conversation for the entire black community. I applaud the beautiful, mature way you handle this topic. I've definitely been enlightened. Thank you ladies!
Man, your friend is on point. Your perspective, Shannon, is also interesting as I never had to think about that. I really appreciate you sharing. I have to say I've also felt discriminated by blacks at certain points more often than I've felt discriminated by non-blacks. But not for the color of my skin, it was for things like culture, my accent, my name, etc.
I know as a black kid in mostly white schools, I wondered "How come the palm of my hand is pink like them but they're ALL pink and have no brown?" And not in a sad way. Just in a legitly curious-I-dont-know-what-genetics-are way lol. Also my skin tone changed. Some days my Nigerian friends asked me why I am so light skinned. But in the summer, my mom would say man you kids look like you got burnt. lol! So I just always saw skin color as something that is different for everyone. Like how everyone has different eyes. And it doesn't have to mean anything, its just natural.
Shan is so beautiful, Makeba is so beautiful. Im glad you guys are talking about this because i feel like colorism is such a big issue in every culture and it's something we need to talk about.
Yes!! Talk about it! Discussing colorism is uncomfortable for all of us. Simply because we have all been on one end of it and may have pent up anger, frustration or feel a lack of belonging or worth due to its effects. Colorism has done so well dividing us and I am tired of it. Black people have the most variant of skins shades and hair textures we are such a beautiful people but we are allowing our history to continue to plague us. So I happy to see this very uncomfortable conversation had, it is needed. None but ourselves can free our minds.
Also your child hood experiences seem more related to someone who is just attractive versus complexion. Although I do believe there is a issue in some situations in relation to complexion. My childhood issues were the same and I’m also west Indian woot woot! More vids like this love it!!!
Amazing conversation... I was just having this convo earlier and I stated how i now work in a all white town and get more respect and exceptance then when i wasn't....growing up half black and white I have always been preconceived as stuck up and thinking I'm better than everyone.... and just like you once they got to know me I was nothing like they thought... bottom line is we are all Gods beautiful creations and when you meet someone for the first time you should act like it's your first time... no prejudgment... love it. keep the videos coming... the deeper the better lol
These videos are so frustrating! I really wish y'all would have had someone with some more education on racial issues in America, specifically. This convo was extremely superficial. Light-skinned and dark-skinned issues are deeper than just beauty issues. There are real, tangible benefits to being lighter complected. The Rachel Dozel issue being reduced to the "good" she did for the Black community ignores that fact that she as a white woman took up space in our community that black women, especially darker skinned black women, don't get access to. It acts as if the playing field is even and that that we all have equal access and representation even in Black spaces. And, for Shannon to say that she gets all her racism from black people, ignoring how racism actually works, while also saying she wanted to be aware of her privilege is laughable. I wish y'all could have had this convo with someone, whether light-skinned or dark-skinned, who was more in tune with facts about racial privilege. I am new to Makeba, but I've been following Shannon since TGAW, even bought your book. I hope this didn't come across as mean or condesending. I just wanted this convo to be more than it was.
THIS! I agree wholeheartedly; because even being on the opposite end of said privilege (in this case, dark-skinned) doesn't mean they understand the mechanics of such prejudice. There's more to colorism than self-insecurities/confidence or an individual being or not being attracted to you. Not to mention, this is an issue that extends beyond the black community, effecting people of color no matter their background. We don't talk about how there are people literally putting bleach into their childrens bathwater to make them "lighter" to be considered more acceptable, or some dark-skinned women ordering products illegal in their country just to lighten their skin. Understanding isms takes more than experience, but education, and I think you articulate this point so well!
This topic was so well handled for a 2015 discussion on skin color! Thank you for not hiding and being real, but also for showing what it looks like to overcome society's labels and just being who you want to be.
Both of my parents are black. Therefore I am a black woman. But my skin is lightskin and therefore people think it is okay to tell me that I'm not a real black woman. Like why? Why make me feel less because of the color of my skin, that I didn't even choose myself?
They know you are a real black woman they just trying to make you feel insecure, don't fall for it... being dark is not the only black ... love your blackness Sis
Wow, wonderful question on the "black enough" idea. You two are right, there is no need for the comparison or the issue of issues on that. Thank you for the refreshing perspectives, such a beautiful feeling💓👐
I like you shanboody you are touching on subjects that are sensitive and that everyone are scared to talk about but you are brave to be talking about this when you donot have to as a light skin woman.
I appreciate the boldness of the topic and how candid you both are! Thank you!
And, I still wish there could be more discussion of the institutional and systemic patterns of colorism in North America (and the larger world in general). Yes, skin tone is very personal, but there are patterns of institutional privilege which need to be acknowledged in order for this kind of conversation to be truly radical and transformative.
make a response video and take it to another level!
You guys are very empowering and brilliant. I agree with you guys on everything y'all said. The most stereotypical thing I've heard throughout my life is "Only mixed or light skinned girls have curly 'good' hair." As a dark skinned with curly hair I've also heard "Dark skins can't have curly hair, you have to be mixed" and "guys will only date light skinned girls", but truth be told your skin color nor hair should define you or your acceptance into society. It's derogatory to tell someone they won't be "accepted" into society based on color and this applies to all races because YOU ARE NOT YOUR SKIN COLOR, YOU ARE HUMAN!
This is a GREAT conversation. This Darkskin/Lightskin stuff definitely needs to end. Whether men or women originated this stereotype, it needs to end. I'm mixed and all my siblings are darker than me. I don't see them any different because of skin color. I love them no matter what. All black skin colors are beautiful. The sooner ALL blacks see that, the better off everyone will be. I am definitely going to share this video to get the conversation started on this!
It's really sad tbh both people hurt from this which shows you why it needs to discontinue I love your channel i just found it I like your vibe you're very free spirited from my perspective I like the vibe🌻 I'm glad ya both colabed hot mama's 👸🏾👸🏻🔥
This is great. I just had a convo with my cousins wife about how i don't have any confidence and it was mostly derived from me being called dark skin all the time. I am the darkest of my sisters and my friends which is usually why i don't really get any attention when we are all together. I feel more empowered by myself because i m comfortable with my skin... until i am around them.
Sometimes I feel sad because I notice that black girls with nappy hair are never on TV shows. I've seen a dark skinned women on TV before but her hair is straightened out. That's the reason I've begged my mother to give me straightened hair so I'd look like other black girls. Some kids in school think I'm mixed but my mom is just light and my dad is dark but I inherited my moms lightness and my hair use to be nappy. I can never talk to my mom about this because it always upsets her.
so true about the idea of internal division within even of our own ethnicity. like it's bad enough discrimination is recieved against other ethnicites but what's worse is when people within your own ethnicity discriminate each other. this issue is so common even in the middle east and south asia it's ridiculously sad. for example a Syrian arab being much lighter skin then a Yemeni Arab for example. or a gujrati indian compared to a person from sir lanka etc. a lighter skinned person being percieved as more "beautiful" when dark skinned people are just as beautiful. how can we defeat racism or discrimination against others if we can't even support the people within our own ethnicty
Loved this video! The shadism debate is one that needs to be had, it's unfortunate that as a race we separate ourselves based on melanin. We are all black, light or dark.
Omg I relate to this and Im not even black! There are so many stereotypes that come with how we look and our ethnicity and what people think that's suppose to look like. I grew up being a pale as fuck latina, and people were always saying if you're Mexican why are you so white? Its like they're implying I had to be dark and look a certain way to be accepted as mexican Or also I'd begin speaking spanish and they be shocked that I was Mexican or thought I was a white girl who spoke spanish. I'd be so offended sometimes because I'd be showing pride for being hispanic and people growing up would always try to bring me down and minimize ny pride and say "shut up white girl" or they would say "but you're white? It was so frustrating
Mixed people are so gorgeous and have such unique features from the different races they inherit them from. I’m definitely jealous!
God has blessed my eyes with their beauty today like sweet Jesus
Loved this video! Such an honest and open discussion from each side. And you BOTH are stunning! Love!
Isn’t it sad how both complexions had issues growing up ? .. it’s like one big mind phuck ! I’m glad you both know who you are Now and helping others to do the same .
Wish this convo could be had by dark and light skinned men. I've talked to women who wouldn't date a dark skinned man because the stigma that we're abusive and rough.
I understand you may be mixed white but we gotta be honest. It was kinda hinted at, but white slave masters are to blame for this division. The Willie Lynch letter is real
When Makeba said she was the darkest of her siblings and her feelings about that, she basically summed up my feelings in my own family. I'm also the darkest of my sisters and I felt like the ugly one. Its a shame that young girls feel this way. Having these conversations is so important.
Love that you all had this talk it's much needed. I'm a dark skin women and I actually have the same experience of going out of the house looking crazy and black men will still try to get at me so i guess i haven't experienced discrimination in that form but while I was dating my ex girlfriend who actually looks really similar to you we both received the same amount of attention from the outside world together and as individuals but when it came to men trying to spit game at us separately which is completely disrespectful clearly we were in a relationship lol i noticed it was based solemnly on our skin tone like ooooh girl i love chocolate or i love a light skin girl with green eyes lmao colorism is definitely an issue in the black community that stems all the way back from slavery so yes LET'S TALK ABOUT IT
Thank you for this. As an 18 year old darkskin girl I am learning every single day to love my complexion more and more everyday. I also don't think that loving myself is a reason hate other complexions and people in general so thank you for speaking on this.
I totally agree that the light skin vs. dark skin is just a way to continually divide the African American race. When really it doesn't matter and it shouldn't honestly be a issue. We need to stick together!! All African American women are beautiful light or dark!! Ha but I loved this video it touched a lot is questions I had, and I agree a lot with some of the answers.
I never experienced this type of thing before. My family was just a loving accepting family. I do see things like this from other family and I'm glad I never had to experience this.
Growing up I was always the lightest person in my family. Sometimes that made it really hard to self identify especially when people walked up to me to ask me if I was adopted or if I belonged to my family. It took me a long time to be comfortable in the skin I'm in. This video really helped me see how the people who made these comments were feeling and the why they said what they said. Awesome video!!!
+shawnakay brown Lol!!
LMAOOO
I appreciate the views expressed between both of you ladies. You two are gorgeous. It always confused me how some men would automatically refer to a woman as beautiful because she held a lighter complexion. Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, I believe there is an underlying issue here that needs to be addressed. Those men were color stricken. That woman could have had a face full of acne, thin lips, no lashes, huge nose, odd shape, etc..but because she was light skin she was labeled as beautiful. That is a major area of concern. Men, please learn to see beyond color. All shades are dope and lovely. -Miss Faith T
conversations like this are so interesting to me because though my skin is of darker pigmentation (from my mother's side) my hair and facial features (from my father's side) I guess somewhat contrast to what the "typical black woman's" features would perceive to be. With saying that, I never truly grew up feeling this inferiority complex girls my age and now woman have over their skin because I was the "dark pretty blasian girl". I would love to hear a conversation about a darker skinned woman who DID NOT go through this kind of problem with her skin or hair texture because though many of us have, a lot of us including myself haven't and weren't exposed to it until we became adults. Great convo and vid !
+Desire Johnson Are u blasian?
Yes, I am.
Desire Johnson
I asked because that's the reason you may not have experienced what most darker skinned black woman have experienced. Because although u have darker skin, u are biracial. I in fact, don't understand why they got a biracial woman to represent the views of light skinned black women. Being biracial and being light skinned are two different things, so that didn't make sense, it is a bad move on their part, in my opinion, but the video was still appreciated.
There's a coded matrix that doesn't want a union among certain groups of population. I had to learn to love myself better than anyone can first. I used to be part of that group that didnt want to date anyone that wasn't black until I realized I was perpetuating an unnecessary hate.. HUGE realization.... made me more compassionate, forgiving, respect and love for myself because how I love people reflect how I love myself. We are mirrors.
Both of you ladies are extremely beautiful, baby girl your husband is a lucky lucky man! Light skin honey, don't feel down about yourself your a 100 years ahead of the curve babe
im so glad you did this topic. being half asian and not looking Asian has always been a struggle in my life.
Wow. This was great. Please do more as often as possible. This should be a whole channel.
It wasn't until I got on RUclips that I knew this was an issue. I mean both people are black. This conversation was interesting. A light skin girl didn't like me, but I never associated it with color. It is very sad that this is a problem. I'm sorry you guys experienced those things. You're both beautiful and strong.
Canada stand up! (Toronto/Mississauga girl here so I'm super happy to see girls from The6/905 reppin'). Anyway...Yup! I've had people try to shade me because my skin is a deep shade of chocolate, the comments have run the gamut from the backhanded "you're pretty for a dark girl" to "you're too dark to wear that lipstick colour", etc etc. When I went to high school in Mississauga then to University of Toronto I never felt inferior or less beautiful because of my dark skin and "nappy" hair, though I always had the implicit understanding that the light skinnededed (intentional mispelling) girls with "good hair" would get more play/dates/love because... society/pop culture/music videos perpetuate the myth that light is right.
Luckily, I have always been blessed with high self esteem and knew better than to base my self worth on how desirable "the man dem" found me. But this video still resonated with me because I know just how many little girls and grown women have been affected by the colorism that exists in the black community. Great conversation and love your work!
Too much beauty for one video!! 😍😍🌹🌹
Loved this discussion, watched both parts before commenting. Shannon have you ever looked into Adrien Piper? She is a conceptual artist and philosopher who is also light skinned and has some works that go into the discussions of colorism as someone who can often pass for white. This even has leaked it's way to many different cultures with the international ripples of colonialism. As a latina (Puerto Rican) who grew up in NY, my light complexion I usually pass for white, and almost felt unwelcomed by other latinos and was often called out as the "white girl" of the family as well. That feeling of being an other mostly came from not being easily identified as being latina, in a mainly Italian/Jewish American neighborhood. When I was younger I rejected things that felt stereotypically latino which I regret now because it also was me rejecting the culture and as a result I speak poor Spanish. Now as an adult I find other modern multi-faceted latinas in the U.S. , and we don't all have to look like Jlo or those telenovela girls to be latina.
It really irks me how some of these commenters demand you only express whatever their view of the situation is, as though they have the right to tell you what to say on your youtube channel. RUclips is open to anyone, if they want to tell their story they can. You're here to tell yours. Anyway, this was a really interesting video. It's always good to hear the opinions of people I respect, even if it's on a topic I have little experience with (or maybe it's especially good in that case) :)
Great video shared I enjoy watching both of you beautiful young ladies mature conversation on colorism.
Shared ❤️❤️💐💐
This is great, because it's an actual conversation! I really appreciate both perspectives being shared. It was very insightful! thank you