PinkPassion08
Soror,
I hear comments like yours all the time. I have decided that I will stop trying to convince people who feel as you do that "dark skinned" woman are paranoid about this issue. I have a light skinned friend up here in the Bay and she feels as you do.
My sensitivity comes from life experience. I was often teased as a child because of my skin color and many children are today. You remember those jokes "yo momma is so black" or "Yo momma's hair is so nappy" Why are those jokes so funny? I've never heard, "Yo momma is so light" or "Yo momma's hair is so wavy" Why not? I remember at one point in my life I wished I was light skinned. No Black child should have to deal with that. And my comment is that popular media does not do much to help. I remember when my son was born, his paternal grandmother told me she was glad he came out light skinned because everybody in her immediate family was. What kind of comment is that?
Perhaps you don't notice it because as you said people classify you as light skinned. You're right everything does not boil down to skin color but often times it does. And a lot of times the way it works is subconsciously.
You say you think Rachel is much prettier than Big Lez but it has nothing to do with skin color. Are you sure? Couldn't it be subconscious? Our standards of beauty in this country are so skewed. We are raised in a society where the epitome of beauty is Caucasian. As far as Rachel being from the Caribbean, most Caribbean women do not look like Rachel, they are dark skinned. Rachel personally is not all that pretty to me, she just looks like another carbon copy of those girls you see in rap videos. Who for the most part are overwhelmingly fair skinned with "good" hair.
It seems like the comment's here pushed a button in you and I'm sorry if I offended you but in one way I'm not because I think when people react that way it hits a chord and makes them think about preconceived notions and ideas.
I was raised in CA and skin color is definitely an issue out here. As far as that Blacker the Berry the sweeter the juice. No, I don't think it is a comment offensive to light skinned women. It is one of those time honored Black sayings that many mothers have told their dark-skinned daughters to help their self-esteem. A self-esteem that is often times damaged by a society who places a higher value on beauty that meets a "eurocentric" standard.
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Aim for the moon,.... if you miss you'll be among the stars.
[This message has been edited by chAKAlate (edited May 14, 2000).]
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