Ok, so here's the situation, A few friends and I were having a conversation a couple days ago when one of them said,"I bet you will find more pretty lightskinned women than you would darkskinned." I said to myself, "This guy cannot possibly be that ignorant." But hey, everybody's entitled to their own opinion right? My thing is, I personally believe that no complexion is better than the other, but what do you think? It's a topic that seems to never get old while generation after generation all have the same thing to say. I asked a few random guys what they considered beauty and some of the responses were, "long hair and pretty eyes" another said, "clear skin and a nice body." My favorite was, "Having a brilliant mind and being in touch with self and nature." Not once did I hear someone mention skin tone but that doesn't mean people don't take that into consideration. For instance, dark women who process their hair believe that makes them more attractive. It has been taught to believe that harder or kinky hair is not beautiful. There is now a Cliche' that having hair like that "makes you look like a slave." Offensive, but it is taken very seriously in the African American community. Some dark women prefer lighter men because they are afraid their children will turn out darker than them. Men sometimes prefer lighter women because it often seems "exotic", especially if she's mixed. Growing up I used to hear people say all the time that I was pretty to be a "dark skinned girl" as if it were like Haley's comet to actually see a dark attractive female. But that's the way society has been conditioned; lighter is better and black is only beautiful if your hair is long and straight like a European. It's the War of the Skin Tones, which one will prevail? What about those in between skin tones? Where do they fall in this battle? Tell me what you think. I honestly want to know.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Can We Just Move On?
Ok, so here's the situation, A few friends and I were having a conversation a couple days ago when one of them said,"I bet you will find more pretty lightskinned women than you would darkskinned." I said to myself, "This guy cannot possibly be that ignorant." But hey, everybody's entitled to their own opinion right? My thing is, I personally believe that no complexion is better than the other, but what do you think? It's a topic that seems to never get old while generation after generation all have the same thing to say. I asked a few random guys what they considered beauty and some of the responses were, "long hair and pretty eyes" another said, "clear skin and a nice body." My favorite was, "Having a brilliant mind and being in touch with self and nature." Not once did I hear someone mention skin tone but that doesn't mean people don't take that into consideration. For instance, dark women who process their hair believe that makes them more attractive. It has been taught to believe that harder or kinky hair is not beautiful. There is now a Cliche' that having hair like that "makes you look like a slave." Offensive, but it is taken very seriously in the African American community. Some dark women prefer lighter men because they are afraid their children will turn out darker than them. Men sometimes prefer lighter women because it often seems "exotic", especially if she's mixed. Growing up I used to hear people say all the time that I was pretty to be a "dark skinned girl" as if it were like Haley's comet to actually see a dark attractive female. But that's the way society has been conditioned; lighter is better and black is only beautiful if your hair is long and straight like a European. It's the War of the Skin Tones, which one will prevail? What about those in between skin tones? Where do they fall in this battle? Tell me what you think. I honestly want to know.
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Personally I think that it doesn't matter wat skin tone an african american girl is, if they're attractive than that's just it they look good. A darksinned girl can be beautiful or she could be butt ugly and the same for lightsinned girls. For those who believe lighskinned girls naturally look better than darkskinned girls or the opposite it is their opinion but it is a prejudice one.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It is okay to have your preferences but it has become more than that; it is now a self esteem issue, especially in the entertainment industry. Did anyone noticed how light lil' kim's complexion has become over the years? What about Sammy Sosa?
ReplyDeleteI understand what u mean...i've heard my homeboys say several times that a girl is "pretty for a dark skinned chick". i dont personally agree with that because as u said complexion doesnt matter...like at all when it comes to beauty. Whats really important is how the person thinks of themself because confidence no matter HOW u look is always gonna be attractive. Light or Dark..just luv urself!! I honestly dont have a complexion preference...light as khaki's or dark as nighttime...I love all beautiful black women.
ReplyDeleteI love all African American women as a whole no matter the skin tone. And your friend has his own perception. I don't agree with it, but he is entitled to his own opinion.
ReplyDeleteWow shade-ism is a whole type of racism unto itself. Color or complexion should not be a factor anymore, and to grow as a society we need to move beyond those factors. As a wise man once said to me "There is no black, white, red, or yellow. We are all shades of brown."
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