Colorism

Colorism is a type of prejudice that is not necessarily based on racial knowledge in the sense of heredity or studied racial notions but simply on the perception of differences in color of the pigmentation patterns the colorism is subjected to. For example, isolated natives of an indigenous tribe that have had approximately no contact with modern science or cultural history, may reject a person simply based on how they perceive their color features.G. Eiríksson, date of entry.
People of any race can have colorist biases. It is a worldwide problem.Why black people discriminate among ourselves: the toxic legacy of colorism Children may respond coloristically without having any racial knowledge.See similarly, studies on the response of children to differently colored baby dolls.
== Examples ==
Colorism can be obvious or subtle.
Examples of "casual colorism" include:Colorism: Understanding Skintone DiscriminationWhat is colorism? How people of color can overcome their own insecurities and biases
* Congratulating parents for having a light-skinned baby
* Putting extra sunscreen on a dark-skinned person while telling them they "don't need to get any darker"
* Makeup brands creating many light and medium tones while neglecting dark tones
* The skin lightening industry
* "She's pretty for a dark-skinned girl"
But it's more than the occasional rude comment or frustration when shopping for makeup base. Colorism has can have serious consequences for dark-skinned people:
* Light-skinned black people are perceived as more intelligent.Study: lighter-skinned black and Hispanic people look smarter to white people
* Light-skinned black men get paid more than dark-skinned black men.From Dark to Light: Skin Color and Wages among African-Americans
* Dark-skinned black girls are 3 times more likely to be suspended from school than light-skinned black girls.Hannon, L., DeFina, R. & Bruch, S. The Relationship Between Skin Tone and School Suspension for African Americans. Race Soc Probl 5, 281–295 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-013-9104-z
* In the justice system, light-skinned black women get shorter prison sentences compared to dark-skinned black women.The impact of light skin on prison time for black female offenders
* Dark-skinned black women report worse health than their light-skinned counterparts.Hargrove, T. W. (2019). Light Privilege? Skin Tone Stratification in Health among African Americans. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 5(3), 370-387. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649218793670
== Media ==
* He's Dark, Dark; Colorism Among African American Men
== See also ==
* Discrimination
* Casteism; Biodiversity; Aesthetics
* Aesthetic prejudice
* Victimhood; Anti-Whiteness; Anti-Blackness; Anti-Colored; Person Of Color; Prejudice; Racial Prejudice; Race Perception
== References ==
Category:Prejudice
Category:Hate
Category:Racism