The Complexion Obsession: Is Dark Skin Still Not In?
The homie Joy Daily released part 1 of her first documentary entitled, The Complexion Obsession, where she talks to various media and music industry professionals including rappers, professors and video vixens about why they believe or not, that dark skin women still get the shaft when it comes to music videos. Shameless plug: I make a cameo at 6:41.
Part two will be up next week.
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Starrene Rhett Rocque is a recovering journalist who often fantasizes about becoming a shotgun-toting B-movie heroine.Subscribe
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After viewing this, I am more than convinced and dismayed, that we will never, ever get past this flaw in our culture. This has been acceptable during and post slavery. Light skin has always been revered as the ideal; always will be, because deep down in our collective psyches, we’ve been brain washed! Brain washed to believe that white is right; light is next to white, brown can stick around, and black has to stay back! No matter how much those interviewed tried to intellectualize it or explain it, the real reason is how effectively devastating the effects of racism has been, in making those of a darker hue feel or be perceived as inferior. To say it has to do with the lighting in videos is disingenuous. The casting for these videos is probably decided by males, and their preference is for light skinned women…period! Back in the days of The Cotton Club, the chorus line dancers had to be light skinned females, while the males could be any hue. How are the videos of today any different? They aren’t. The female leads had to look like Lena Horne or Dorothy Dandridge, while the male could be any shape, size or color! Stop trying to rationalize your prejudice against your own and call “a spade a spade!” Pun intended! BTW: skin bleaching agents are selling at an all time high volume in Africa, India and The Caribbean! Two words for you…Sammy Sosa!
It’s still a really prevelant practice unfortunately to ditch the brown and chocolate skinned females for the lighter, whiter ones….It’s always puzzled me man; these complexes about complexion…Is America to blame? Oh yeah…the forces behind the scenes like your favorite glamor magazine editor who cow tows to europe’s definitions of beauty is one of the most damaging things to all of these young girl’s psychi’s..
Were they even talking to Rick Ross? The editing made it look like they just spliced footage together to make it seem like they were talking to him.
“I’m not saying it’s a problem, it’s an observation”? Keep it real Joy. Why’d she backtrack when Ricky asked if it was what it was, a Problem? That’s not gonna help the ’cause, she lost already. If it’s not a problem this video is irrelevant (Two thumbs down on that one). Where are the Dark skinned girls being interviewed beside Bria Miles and Ganstarrgirl (who are both gorgeous by the way)? All those other girls aren’t even dark-skinned (two more thumbs down). And what the hell is a Red-bone. LMAO, southerners, slap yourselves, shame on you too Joy. Melissa Ford trying to sound intelligent is painful (@ 8:20), and call me crazy but she seems no darker than Halle Beerrreeh, Halle Berry.
I appreciate Joy for putting this out there though but go harder.
@NonsenseInc
When Joy said “I’m not saying it’s a problem, it’s an observation?” she was trying to remain objective. Sometimes if you put your opinion in it, that could sway the interviewee’s answer. So I see why she did that. She did sound nervous which is why you probably think that was suspect but she was just trying to not seem bias.
Looking at it from such a professional vantage, that makes sense. Ricky did look like he was feeling challenged so I understand her nervousness. As soon as she made her description of the favored women someone got defensive and blurted “like you”. It would still be better she interviewed more dark-skinned video girls, I’m tired of the whole I’m lighter so I’m hated on approach that I heard in the video. Maybe in part 2.
@NonsenseInc
Yeah, i agree. She could have talked to more dark skin girls but I haven’t seen the other parts so maybe. I’m also annoyed with the whole “People hate me because I’m light” thing too because that’s not always the case. I’m a dark skin girl who has been hated on because I was “pretty” and I’ve seen lighter women catch hell for not being considered attractive so that sentiment about automatically being pretty because you’re lighter is just tired. And often, people who say things like “They hate me because I’m light” tend to be assholes in general so the hate probably has nothing to do with complexion in a lot of their cases but it’s just easier for them to internalize it that way because they’re well, jerks.
I like what the last chick said… this conversation is beyond redundant… we keep seeing it talked about over and over and over again but no one has any solutions…
Personally I could care less… I don’t look for validity of my beauty from what chicks some rapper whose music I probably don’t like anyway decides to put in his videos. The problem lies when women believe that not seeing them validates their existence.
I see you shining though Starr…lol… and biggups to Joy Daily!
Light skin has not always been ideal, or held as favorably.. Growing up in the 90s, there was a distinch backlask against whitewashed ads of the 80s. Black was not only in, but the darker you were, the more “pride” you had. Light skin people were targeted in comedy, and movies. Portrayed as elitist snobs, stiff, rigid, and self hating. Many seemed to overcompensate to be accepted as proud members of the community. IF you were light, mixed, especially with fine lengthy of hair, you had to play down your qualities, in risk of being considered conceited.
I remember those times, and being stigmatized before people got to know.me. I made an extra effort to be humble. And for what?
I don’t deny there is a stigma against dark skin women. However, I don’t see to many fair complected women having priority over darker.
The truth is, dark or light, if you’re beautiful, people tend to focuso on you more. I’ve seen barely average to ok looking light women, as well as dark.