Colorism in Media | Group Eevee

 Welcome to Group Eevee's blog, run by students in CMMA 425 at Clark Atlanta University. Our goal is to persuade you through our blog posts that colorism exists in the media industry. 

  For years, dark skin women have often been misrepresented in the film industry despite their remarkable contributions and tremendous pathways they have left behind. In the film industry, darker skin tones are not seen as suitable because of the ugly slave stereotypes passed down from generation to generation. There is a societal norm that wants to see lighter skin toned women on film because it is perpetuated that dark-skinned women bring only hurt and anger to the scene. Although darker skin toned women have left an unmatched impact on the world due to the film industry's fixation on the eurocentric feature, they have often been portrayed by lighter skin toned actresses that are dressed up to fit the description.  For example, in 2016, actress Zoe Saldana portrayed the world-renowned singer and actress, Nina Simone, in a film about her life. Being that Nina Simone is a darker woman, Zoe Saldana’s fair complexion had to be altered to fit the description. It is questioned why...

    Dark skin, a concept which somehow finds meaning on a continent like Africa on which a largely Brown people live, is an artifact of the relative social and economic distancing from colonial centers of power.   Colorism is a prejudicial manifestation within ethnicities, which discriminates against people, according to the tone or shade of their skin. Colorism can be seen in a racial group to a member of their own race, or amongst those of different colors and races due to  whiteness being a source of oppression in this country. It is inescapable because lighter complexions are still associated with beauty.