Shadeism is a very hot topic these days in Women's Circles. it throws the covers off of that offhanded but too often used term Exotic..
Shadeism from Shadeism on Vimeo.
This trailer for the soon to be released Documentary hits the problem in a very sensitive area. Personally speaking I lived this problem for my whole life. my skin is light brown; my hair is curly yet softer; and my eyes are lighter green and hazel.
This makes me stand out in a group of Black People always. it never matters how much we say we are one and the same, I can always feel that someone is looking at me with some emotional baggage, that belongs to neither of us.
The most hurtful comments always seem to come from women who are closer to my skin color. it seems that the lighter your skin color the more you seem to stick out in peoples eyes. much like a sore thumb.
This makes me stand out in a group of Black People always. it never matters how much we say we are one and the same, I can always feel that someone is looking at me with some emotional baggage, that belongs to neither of us.
The most hurtful comments always seem to come from women who are closer to my skin color. it seems that the lighter your skin color the more you seem to stick out in peoples eyes. much like a sore thumb.
Pigmentocracy : a society where pigment determines ones social class and life possibilities.
This social substructure greatly impacted people like me, whos' Caribbean backgrounds were linked to miscegenation and rape. last year we wrote about the problem with skin bleaching in the Caribbean. yet we still see the sales of these deadly creams climbing globally. it's as though people have adopted the view that to be White is to be Right.
When will we be able to accept each other for the People We Are, instead of the color of our skins ?
That question is larger for me in someways because no matter what I do, I will never be acceptable to either Black folks who are darker than me and have an issue with being Color Struck; or with White folks who seem to want to think that my skin color would make me more of a threat to them, being closer to theirs.
It's an ugly jagged point to always have to live with, regardless of what you may be doing with your life. you are accused of getting ahead because of your skin color; as shown in the video. women look at your hair and often wonder if it's chemically treated or even if it's your own hair. then your eyes really cause the most discomfort when people realize that they are yours, and not contact lenses.
I said I'd never write this post, but tonight it was so obvious to me that if I didn't add my voice to those of the women in the video, no one would understand my personal pain.
The pain of never being the right color. never having the right hair, texture or eyes. always being too close to that forbidden and hated thing. always being the secret that crept out of the closet and declared myself valid. yes valid as a woman, valid as a Black Woman and Valid as a woman who has suffered because of who I AM.
The pain of never being the right color. never having the right hair, texture or eyes. always being too close to that forbidden and hated thing. always being the secret that crept out of the closet and declared myself valid. yes valid as a woman, valid as a Black Woman and Valid as a woman who has suffered because of who I AM.
Today I ask you to look into the mirror of your soul and ask yourself, Who Are You Really ?
