WARSAW, POLAND - JUNE 27: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY)(EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Beyoncé performs onstage during the "RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR" at PGE Narodowy on Jin Warsaw, Poland. In the early 20 th century, many Black organizations on college campuses used a “brown paper bag test” to determine whether someone’s skin was light enough to join their group. Over time this hierarchy of skin tone caused divisions among Black people and the internalized discrimination has left deep psychological and emotional scars that have lasted for generations. In many cases, lighter skinned slaves were the product of sexual violence by White men against enslaved Black women. The origins of colorism are rooted in the system of White supremacy that has equated lighter skin tone with more privilege, Wilder said. During slavery, White slave owners often showed favor to enslaved Africans with lighter skin by forcing them to work inside the house instead of toiling in the fields. JeffriAnne Wilder, author of “Color Stories: Black Women and Colorism in the 21st Century ,” said the controversy surrounding Beyoncé’s appearance shows that the Black community has still not fully reckoned with the issue of colorism.Ĭolorism is when people from within the same racial group show bias against those with darker skin tones. “Black women are still grappling with and constantly being confronted with not being enough.”Ĭolorism - a legacy of slavery even Beyoncé can’t escape “We are still grappling with beauty standards that are still seeped in White supremacy,” Thomas said. Thomas said it was traumatic and frustrating for some Black women who have spent their lives watching Eurocentric standards of beauty- such as lighter skin and long flowing hair- appear to be celebrated more than the physical features of Black people.Īnd these images of Beyoncé, she said, were “an extreme pale presentation.” “And she gets to have this sovereignty over her body and how she chooses to present it to the world but we the people also get to have a response to that presentation.” “Her music is unapologetically, boundlessly and globally Black,” Thomas said. In the post, the singer’s mom included a slideshow of her daughter over the years set to her song, “Brown Skin Girl,” a lyrical ode to the strength and beauty of Black women.īut Geneva Thomas, a New York-based media executive and longtime Beyoncé fan, said she found the singer’s appearance to be jarring precisely because her music is grounded in celebrating Black culture and the empowerment of Black women. “She does a film, called the renaissance, where the whole theme is silver with silver hair, a silver carpet, and suggested silver attire and you bozos decide that she’s trying to be a white woman and is bleaching her skin?” Knowles wrote in the caption of an Instagram post that has since gone viral. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Gabrielle's Angel Foundation ) Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Imagesīeyoncé’s mom defends her daughter’s platinum ‘Renaissance’ premiere look NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 23: Tina Knowles speaks onstage at Angel Ball 2023 hosted by Gabrielle's Angel Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street on Octoin New York City. The backlash prompted Tina Knowles to come to her daughter’s defense, calling the critics’ statements “stupid,” “ignorant,” self-hating and racist. Beyoncé is a Black woman,” another user wrote. ![]() “I don’t like how they lightened her skin. “Where did her melanin go?” one user wrote on Instagram under a post by popular gossip account The Shade Room. The criticism, largely appearing in posts on Instagram, ranged from people accusing Beyoncé of bleaching her skin to others assuming she chose pale makeup and lighting to look like a White woman. The superstar nearly broke the internet this week when images emerged of the singer in a silver gown, with platinum hair and what many perceived to be a lighter skin tone.Īnd while Queen Bey wakes up flawless – and appearances may have been enhanced by lighting used by the event – this look didn’t go over well with some Black people. The recent debate over Beyoncé’s appearance at the Los Angeles premiere of her new film has made one thing clear: even a cultural icon can’t escape the legacy of racism and colorism in America.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |