Dark Girls: Preview from Bradinn French on Vimeo.
I saw this video over at Gorgeousingrey.com. I had to share it with you guys!The documentary explores what it means to be "a dark skin girl" in the African American culture today, a social abnormality reinforced by slavery.
Does it shed any light on the big controversy over Beyonce's 'whitened' L'Oreal ads or the use of terms such as 'brighten/lightener' on beauty products?
While I don't have eloquent words to articulate my sentiments at length about the matter, here are some random thoughts that surface when watching this snippet.
-It's been about two years since I've heard the "house negro/slave" reference.
-I always thought that my babies would be 'brown'. I never thought that there was a chance that I would have a 'light skin' baby until I got to college. It was just my reality to see 'dark skin' people, esp. in my family. Why wouldn't my child be?
-I realized that other people noticed my skin color/thought it was different when an elementary school classmate told me I was white. I tried to tell her I wasn't, but she was convinced 0_o.
-I question why most music videos have light skin or biracial girls as lead interests.
-This is my own blog and sometimes my NC42 skin makes me feel stuck in the middle... sometimes I get away with products that aren't necessarily 'for us', but I can't be nc50 overnight, as if my nc42 skin isn't enough. All my nc42's stand up!
-I watched this with my son. He told me it doesn't matter what color you are. You can be smart and pretty. It doesn't matter your color. [CHECK!]
What are your thoughts on the documentary?
5 comments:
smart kid
Your son is one smart kid! I'm happy that the younger generations will be better about these issues than the ones before them.
yep, very smart kid... i feel sad when i see vids like this. i know it's still an issue within our own culture. it may be unspoken or unconscious but it's there.
I actually just watched this last night...I think that everyone in some way has had some kind of issue with their skin tone..light or dark. I can remember being in elementary school and being told by this boy that I had a HUGE crush on that he would "go with me" if I was lighter. LOL. It hurt back then. The thing is, my mother, my father, and the rest of my family did a great job in building my self esteem at home. I know that not everyone grew up like this, but our foundation does start at home.
Kudos to your son...hopefully the coming generation will wipe out this type of ignorance.
thanks ladies! on another, but similar note, my son and I met a lady with natural hair. he told her, "i like your hair!" that made me feel so good!
@ dana: yup! i believe it starts in the home as well!
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