Diary of Systemic Injustices Showcase: Hollywood’s Colorism Problem

What I will be analyzing in my diary of systemic injustices showcase is colorism, specifically in Hollywood and the media. Over the last decades, there have definitely been improvements in the inclusion of Black people in Hollywood productions and the overall implementation of diversity. We are seeing so many more people that represent different races and ethnicities on our screens. Additionally, we are finally starting to see productions highlighting Black people getting the recognition they deserve. However, Black representation is still facing limitations which are brought by Hollywood’s colorism problem. Colorism refers to the discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone among the same racial group. The range of female blackness seen in movies and TV is typically much more light-skinned than the range of blackness seen in society, it is not an accurate depiction of reality. Zendaya addressed it herself, admitting the privilege she has had by being light-skinned compared to “her darker sisters and brothers” (Onyejiaka). 

Even though we are seeing more Black people in Hollywood, we typically see them fitting the traditional European beauty standards (light-skinned, slim, straight hair, classically attractive, etc). This made me reflect on how I see Black beauty. I realized that I definitely find myself resonating more with Black actresses that fit “conventional” beauty standards. I look for qualities that I as a white woman have, instead of looking for qualities that are unique for Black people. The actresses that fit that European beauty standard more are the ones I find myself following on social media, watching their movies, etc. Though I am not proud of this subconscious behavior, now that I have recognized it, I will work on recognizing dark-skinned actresses and appreciating their natural Black features. I will also look for movies that have this Black representation and show true inclusivity. 

It is important to note that Hollywood’s colorism problem is not just towards Black people, but towards all types of minorities, such as Latinos and Asian-Americans. In the following video, we see different women from different races talking about this issue. One remark that resonated with me was about the Latinx community. One of the women says that the only thing that connects all Latinos in the US is colonialism. For example, the language (Spanish) is given to us by our colonizer. SImilarly, our beauty standards are also influenced by our colonizer. This made me think about “Things Fall Apart”, and how, towards the end, we see how the African villagers become the subaltern and essentially become dominated by their European colonizers, and now they are forced to adapt to their way of life. Both in “Things Fall Apart” and in Hollywood, we see how people are held to traditional European standards, and anything that differs is not accepted.

Works Cited:
Onyejiaka, Tiffany. “We Need to Talk About Hollywood’s Colorism Problem.” Teen Vogue, www.teenvogue.com/story/hollywoods-colorism-problem-cant-be-ignored