"Lightskins vs. Darkskins": The Epidemic of Colorism

"Lightskins vs. Darkskins": The Epidemic of Colorism on Social Media and in Pop Culture


From Twitter to YouTube, many celebrities and influencers have been called out for being colorist, which is nearly synonymous with being racist in the Black community. Some call-outs occur from real-time actions and statements, while others happen due to uncovered past tweets or uploaded videos.

The issue of colorism is certainly not exclusive to the Black community and goes beyond simply social media. It affects us in every sector of our daily lives, nearly in the same fashion as racism.

What Is Colorism and How Did We Get Here?
Colorism has been a popular topic on social media starting in the mid to late 2010s. Merriam-Webster defines it as "prejudice or discrimination [,], especially within a racial or ethnic group favoring people with lighter skin over those with darker skin."


While the word itself was first used around the 1960s, it is rooted in slavery when lighter-skinned slaves were subjected to household tasks and caring for a slave master's family. The lighter-skinned slaves were typically the product of white slave masters raping a dark-skinned, enslaved woman.

The "house" slaves had more privileges than their dark-skinned counterparts and didn't have to toil in the fields. They were seen as more desirable and intelligent. They could "pass" for white and were often allowed to get an education. Because of these qualities, many of them, mostly women, were sold at higher prices than their dark-skinned peers.

On the contrary, dark-skinned enslaved people were forced to work in brutal field conditions doing hard labor from dawn to dusk each day and enduring horrific, even lethal, weather conditions. They also suffered more severe punishments from their slave owners. However, this did not mean that the house slaves were free from punishments, as they were often under increased surveillance due to their proximity to their owners and family.

After slavery formally ended, the white supremacist hierarchy and ideology of light skin being favored over dark skin endured within the Black community and American society. The brown paper bag test was implemented at companies and even within Black social life. This "test" determined who would be allowed in certain spaces based on skin color.

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