What Light Girls Can Teach Us About Beauty
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In the African-American community, there is a certain degree of separation: dark-skinned, brown-skinned, and light-skinned. The Oprah Winfrey Network recently aired a documentary by Bill Duke called Light Girls that outlines the effect of these color divisions; the special was a followup to the film Dark Girls from 2011. Skin color is often a way that society (and young women) measures beauty.
Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o once said, "I remember a time when I felt unbeautiful. I put on the TV and only saw pale skin, I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin." Light Girls explores the reverse of that paradox: women who have been ridiculed for being too light or not "black enough." Keep reading to find out why every beauty girl should watch and learn from the special. Source: Getty / Timur Emek
It Denounces Skin Bleaching
"Lighter is better" is an unspoken tenet in many different cultures. Asian, Indian, and South American beauty suppliers often sell bleaching creams like Whitenicious by Dencia. However, the skin lightening trend is also prevalent in America, too. Typically these products are geared to acne scarring or hyperpigmentation, with hydroquinone as primary active ingredient.
I, too, often reach for the brightening serums and creams in the skin care aisle (you can never have enough vitamin C, in my opinion). So much so that I have noticed a marked difference in the tone of my face against my body. However, I have never considered how they would have an effect on my complexion in the future, but as the video points out, the products produce incredibly varied results.
It Talks About Tanning in the Black Community
Yes, women of color tan, too! We already know how harmful UV rays can be to the skin. Not only can sun exposure cause major signs of aging, but it can also lead to skin cancer. It's often misconceived that tanning is a "white girl thing," but actress Raven-Symoné reveals her past tanning habit in Light Girls. "When I had my own show, I used to tan three or four times a week in a tanning bed to get darker," she said.
In Hollywood, African-American actresses are faced with the challenge of being black enough. Some producers are looking to cast a woman who has all the typical black features, including dark skin. Raven began to tan in order to appear blacker.
As a beauty editor, I had my first spray tan in my 20s. Originally I thought, "This is pointless. I'm already dark." However, I have found that during the Winter months, I feel pale without my Summer glow. Something about the brown color my skin turns after a few days in the sun makes me feel more desirable (and it isn't just the vitamin D).
"Passing" Is Still a Problem
Amber Rose, who is half white and half African descent, opened up about her family for the documentary. She explained how some of her Creole family members refused to attend her wedding to rapper Wiz Khalifa because of his darker skin tone. In their minds, dark skin is inferior.
"With my family — they feel like they're more superior, or better than an African American, because we're Creole and we have culture," she said. "I'm angry that my family is like that and they want to 'pass' so bad that they raised my mom and my uncles and my aunts to not fully know their culture."
Racial passing — identifying as another race based on skin tone — is something that has been occurring in the black culture for centuries. Children of mixed race would leave their families to live an ulterior lifestyle as white. Amber's statements went viral across Twitter among hip-hop fans. She and Wiz have split since their 2013 wedding, but she stays in the news with her racy bikini photos.