It's not just mainstream media. It applies to black media as well. Poll black people of all ages. See if they consider Alek or Ajuma or Oluchi attractive.

Look at music videos, XXL, King or Black Men. I can think of two regulars (Bria Myles and Buffy Carruth) who aren't on the fair side and just like mainstream magazines, the focus on the darkies is a body part (butt in this case), not on their overall beauty. I've never heard a guy talk about how pretty Buffy is. I've heard them talk about what they'd like to do with that butt of hers, but let it be Angel, Tomika, Mellyssa, etc., and it's all how beautiful they are, how they'd wife them up quick and of course, what they'd like to do with them.

As for black shows:
The Cosby Show - 2 very fair skinned daughters. Until I understood the concept of acting around age 7, I wondered how Clair and Cliff could have had such fair skinned children
A Different World - in every episode I've watched, all the female characters are fair skinned
Girlfriends - 2 of the 4 are very fair skinned. On nearly all the cast pictures I've seen, Golden Brooks and Jill Marie Jones get the Beyonce/L'Oreal treatment.

I picked up Body & Soul a few weeks ago. Vanessa A Williams was on the cover. I couldn't recognize her. The "lighting" of course.

. I think blk people are largely to blame for the push of light complected blk folk in the media having a stronger presence. If we appreciated beauty like Aleck Wek and Karen Alexander just a little bit more as a group and proclaimed their beauty loud and proud, others would see it too. I've seen blk R&B musicians from the 80's&90's on YouTube. Weren't SWV, Karen White, Jodi Watley, and Janet Jackson all brown and dark brown skinned. Did they not enjoy different levels of success???

What about Eartha Kitt,. Diahaan Carrol, and Louis Gosset Jr.??? Brown and dark brown skinned. It doesn't help that black men who are married to white women received more press as a couple(photos) than those who are married to darker complected blk women-read Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson.

I don’t mean to hate but what is the obsession with Seal and Heidi Klum.

Even white men who are married or dating black women are not often photographed with their wives- read the guy from Grey's Anatomy, Orlando Bloom and his costar Naomi, and Marc Ecko for examples. In the few cases where BW/WM couples are photographed together I feel like it's more of a WEll WELL WELL, I would of never guessed or but why would he type of deal. See the reaction towards George Lucas relationship with Mellody Hobson.

I think white women share a big part of the burden for what goes on in the print media.

*forgive me for the butchering of names.

As a light skinned female..it pains me to say that colorism does exist..When will black ppl realize that this is a tool to divide and conquer us as a race? I personally wont date a dude who has a habit of only datinq brite chicks b/c that whole mentality pisses me off…I dont think we have come that far at all. Light is perferred over dark many times and due to this i think there is a serious divide among african-american females..Between the lite skinned females who think there all that b/c of that and the dark skinned females who dislike them due to that stereotype.

**Sidenote. i personally hate it when people say oh she's so dark ugh..or she's sexy cuz she's bright. I'm glad i was taught by my mama (who is lighter than me) not to believe in those stereotypes. I have seen ugly lite skinned people and i have seen beautiful dark skinned people and visa versa..I also hate it when i see stuck-up lite skinned females b/c feel they just give us all a bad name. I cant tell u how many females, who after speaking with me, say they are surprised that im not stuck up or a bitch..

I guess it depends on locality and degree of sophistication. I never heard folk in my family raise the light/dark issue but when I went away to college I ran into more but not much. I guess its on the blogs that I see it the most.

If the only reason you feel good/bad about yourself is your skin shade then something is fundamentally wrong within.

Being a child of God is the best skin I'm in.

http://www.talulazoeapple.com

i think this issue is worse in latin america. you dont see dark skinned latinas that much on latino-based programming or networks. and if you do see a dark skinned woman or man, they are only given roles that portray them as servants to their anglo-looking counterparts.

We haven't gotten over it. I'm right in the middle of the color spectrum, but I have eyes and ears. That being said, we seem to be further along — perhaps out of necessity — than many other cultures. At least in some black circles, the trufax about light skinned people — women in particular — being more appealing than their darker counterparts isn't taken as the gospel.

It's far worse in India and Latin America. The darkest person I've seen on Telemundo was maybe the color of J Lo after a 3 day beach vacay. She was also the maid and mistress. She's the succubus, the jezebel, "dark as sin."

@ChicNoir: I know, right? You don't even see that many pictures of Robin and Paula.
I'm sure people who even know about Mellody Hobson think she's some gold digger. Goodness forbid they acknowledge that a black woman who isn't a 22 year old aspiring actress would get the time of day from George Lucas. She happens to be a brilliant finance exec and she's certainly north of 35 at the very least.
Same with Chris Noth. And I LOVE him. I'm a big fan of L&O and watched SATC. I had NEVER seen his partner's picture until it was announced that she was pregnant. DeNiro gets photographed with his wife, but for the most part, she's cut out of pictures. Roger Ebert, Wolfgang Puck, Thandie Newton, etc all get the same treatment. Do you even know what Tina Turner's man of 2 decades looks like? I don't. Halle and her model are photographed together but I don't really think people love them. I do. I am all for the Demi-Ashton thing. For all the people who hate on Venus' looks (fab btw), there are about as many who seem to have trouble with her being with a white guy. Why is that?!

Not to be paranoid, but it's curious that Brandy and Kelly Rowland practically disappear when Christina Milian and Amerie remain media staples 5+ years after their last hits.

We all know what Kobe's wife looks like. What about

I personally wont date a dude who has a habit of only datinq brite chicks
That I applaud. Seriously. When I see some of these guys who very clearly prefer very light or white women, all I can think about is the part of "Their Eyes Were Watching God" when TeaCake and the other men seem to get off on the fact that after he beat Janie, it showed. Zora Neal Hurston single handedly killed any desire I would ever have of being fairer.

…I do think that Naomi Sims, Naomi Campbell, Kenya Moore, Oluchi Onweagba, Roshumba Williams, Jill Marie Jones and Jamelia have done a lot in straightening out the misconception that light skin is a required for one to be beautiful. This is especially true for Roshumba who always rocks the short fro. Sometimes I can't help but think that black people simply "claim" these women because mainstream America has acknowledged their beauty.

It's so funny. Several years ago while watching ANTM, they had Nnenna Agba on and had completely buzzed off her very short hair. Roomie said "you know her man's white." I kinda assumed the same without even consciously thinking about it since she didn't fit the desirability mold for BW. In the shoot with a black American male model, they kissed and dude got, ahem, visibly turned on. Roomie laughed and said "he didn't think the bald African girl could do all that." I really think it's a matter of changing a– backwards mindsets about skin color. "You're pretty for a dark skinned girl" is just as insulting as "you're pretty for a black girl."

Do we still believe light skin better than dark skin?

Of course we do. Even in the black community. It's funny when you hear the same black people who complain about the lack of black models in the modeling industry, also criticize/discriminate against the uber dark-skinned or "African-looking" people. They're basically proving that "whiter" is better. It's like, why choose the black, light-skinned model when I can just get a white chick?

Another thing. Do you guys seriously think Obama would be as successful as he is if he wasn't as light as he was? Would he be as succesful if he looked "more African/black"?

on a personal note, i have experienced colorism in my own family, as did my mother, and her mother before her. i have heard hurtful comments, been treated differently than my own brothers and cousins, plus so much more by my paternal grandmother. she would say things like: 'you would be prettier if you had your father's color', 'wear your hair down, that's where your beauty is', and so on and so on. as soon as i turned 21, i cut her out of my life completely. my fathers sister is in Cali somewhere and only her closest friends know she is Black and not Latina or "Creole" (smmfh). this woman is over 50, and she has been doing this since her late teens.

all around the world people of color believe that the more Eurocentric you look, the better. people in general are made to feel that they need to look a certain way, that they have to reach that "ideal" look. the healing starts at home, i feel, if parents and role models teach children that they are beautiful and VALUABLE no matter what.
i get so many comments that people think are positive but they are full of self hate. examples: 'at least you know your kids will be pretty'(if i have children with my BF). 'your hair is so pretty, are you mixed?'(erhm no, i'm not, but thanks?) etc, etc. talk like this disgusts me. i make sure that my cousins and nephew, and godchildren know that they are worthy of every opportunity, every chance, whatever they desire. i also warn them about the many levels of isms they will encounter out in the world, and not to let that stop them.

as for the images in the media, advertising, and entertainment, we will only combat this with our dollars, and boycotts. what we can do is make sure our children don't keep this bs going. show your young ones this ad and ask them why do they think Beyonce is made to look lighter to sell products.

Alek or Ajuma,Oluchi attractive hell yea….This has been a recurring argument that African men find darker women attractive. Couldnt agree with that any more. There is something about a black women that gravitates my eyes interest so on and so on. My G/F is from Senegal and boy do I love her skin….There is such beauty in a dark skin woman.

I have to admit. As I was growing up in a multi-everything school in Africa. I was attracted to light skin girls but it was honestly just a matter of trend. No disrespect to the light skin sisters out there but Dark is amazingly attractive.

By the way I've never been a B fan…More like a Kelly….

Regarding the Cosby Show/Different World thing: Most of Theo's crushes/GFs were brown/darker-skinned and Jaleesa, Kim, Charmaine, and Gina from DW stand out as focal characters. They were all considered beautiful and intelligent and normal. Not just Whitley.
Colorism still exists and is likely to continue in all ethnic communities because of the inherent diversity of complexion, eye color, hair type. We're all different and we're all beautiful. We just have to know that and not depend on outside sources to validate us.
Di-my-e: I can relate to the hair-related "Is that your hair?","Are you mixed?" or "What are you mixed with (sic)?" mess. My answer? Black and black–lol. According to Revlon's ads, Halle and I wear the same color foundation so I guess my hair texture confuses some folks. It shouldn't be a big deal but it happened even when I was a baby. People who hadn't seen my father figured he must be some other race due to my hair and bugged the hell outta my mom with their stupid questions. But I digress…….at least it doesn't happen within my family.

@ChicNoir: "I don’t mean to hate but what is the obsession with Seal and Heidi Klum."

I truly believe the obsession with these two is related to the ignorant stereotype about dark-skinned black men and blonde white women. I call it the "king kong" theory.

I believe that if Seal were a light-skinned black man the mainstream media would not be so interested in them as a couple. IMO

@Daria at Gorgeous Black Women - Who are Christina Milian and Amerie? I've heard of Brandy and Kelly Rowland, but not the other two.

As a white person, I find this topic generally rather intimidating. It's awkward enough navigating topics related to race; the idea that there are all these complexities along the skin color spectrum is more than I can wrap my head around.

It still exists. It most certainly still exists. Please, make no mistake about it.

There are some families, some people, some individuals, some men, some women who have managed to rise above it.

Then there are people like me, who are a work in progress. I am a product of the colorism wars just like many of you out there. How many of you have heard the term "yellow wasted"? It applies to a light woman who is so ugly that her light skin is simply a waste. I know I heard it. And for the record, I am not old enough to be anybody's mama (at least nobody on this board). I work hard not to feel less than, especially when being told, "You're cute, for a black girl". I also work hard not to feel special when people tell me I have "pretty eyes". I know that they are commenting on the color, not the shape, not the soulful expression, but the fact that they are just north of brown. I rock natural hair and I tell myself that I color it for style, not because it takes the "edge" off. Everyday is a day that I learn to love everything about myself. But because I am a Black woman in America, it starts with just loving my skin, my hair. As simple as it sounds, I am learning to love just that. Yes, there are times when I would trade places with Beyonce, or Halle Berry, or any nameless faceless white girl. There are moments, fleeting moments, when I wonder what it would be like to face the world with lighter skin and flowing waves. And I jerk myself away from that flame, repeat my affirmations and I keep on stepping. With my light brown afro, brown skin and almost light brown eyes. I am a work in progress.

I think blacks believe in it, but we're consciously trying to change as a people. We realize that it's been a problem for far too long.

Now, I have some Latino and Indian friends that would make us look like saints. If you think we're bad about colorism…

Not trying to say that all Indians and Latinos have terrible colorism issues, but in my personal experience they take it to another level.

Of course it exists….You cant have been dark and not have heard the stupid 'Cute for a dark skinned girl' comment. What annoys me more is the surprise I get from some lighter sisters when they think I am getting more attention from guys than they are. That sense of entitlement to all male attention kills me….

I had a biracial friend ask me once why the cute guy in school was paying attention to me even though she had introduced herself….EIGHT TIMES….

She was soooo convinced that she should have him that she didnt think it was too wierd to introduce herself 8 times…or to admit out loud that she was doing it….wtf…

Uuh, regarding the Cosby Show, 2 out of FIVE kids were light skinned. So what???? That's how it goes sometimes. And with girlfriends, 2 out of 4. OK that's half. What's negative about that? And the Different World reference is just way off b/c Kim, Jaleesa, Lena, on and on were brown and darker. What do you want a show that represents dark skinned and brown only? With that said, there is a problem although I am not sure those shows represent it.

"As for black shows:
The Cosby Show - 2 very fair skinned daughters. Until I understood the concept of acting around age 7, I wondered how Clair and Cliff could have had such fair skinned children"

My mother is fair. My father is dark. I am caramel. My sister is dark. Her daughter's father is darker than my sister. My sister daughter, my niece, is the same complexion as my mother mother. I have other family member with similar experiences. Everything is filtered through you own experience, I guess.

Apologies for the typos.

I want rehash my color issues in this post because I've talked about it enough in earlier post but the Cosby show thing can happen…my uncle and his wife are both on the tail end of the darker side of the spectrum…their two oldest children have their colouring but their two youngest favour my grandmother with very fair complexions(btw my grandmother as stated is very fair while my grandfather is on the total opposite end of the spectrum - their 11 children fall in all areas of the spectrum).

And as far as A Different World no one else could have played Whitley!!

I think A Different World represented women from dark to light to actually, White. As far as women go, it was very diverse in terms of the color spectrum. Yes, Denise was the star, only to be replaced by Whitley, and yes, both actresses were very light, with "non-kinky" hair and yes, both were Bi-racial. But since Whitley was only supposed to be a minor character, but broke out because she was funny, funny, funny, I was never perturbed by ADW.

And as far as the Cosby Show goes, genes are a funny thing. Black families are like a box of chocolates, you never know…..

But colorism is just as bad (arguably worse) in Latino and Indian communities around the world. I would love to have a real discussion about why colorism is so invasive, outside of the usual "because of White supremacy answers".

@Daria- From what I've been reading, a large bulk of the soap opera stars from Latin and South America have blond hair and blue eyes. I guess the physical resemblance between the Spaniards and Native Americans* was to close, so they went to Scandinavia and Germany to find actresses in order to make the dark people feel inferior.

Chris North is like Robert Denero in that he likes to date blk women almost exclusively. He dated Beverly Johnson for years in the early 90's. I've only seen only pic of Tina's man, and I hate the way Melody is being portrayed as a gold digger.

Ike- Condi is medium brown, and I think she would of done very well had she made a run for president.

ChynaDoll- I think you made a good point. In the mid 90's, Seal dated Tyra. She is the only blk woman that I've ever seen him with btw, and he cheated on her with another German model ,Titanna Pateiz(tp).

@RhymesWithSilver- You can navigate this spectrum actually. You just have to do it from the white side. How does seeing the way this country celebrates Northern European whites who have blond hair and blue eyes make you feel as an Italian being that Italians often have dark hair, eyes, and sometimes skin.

@Michelle_ I came across the term yellow wasted for the first time about three years ago. It was something a blk character in a book I was reading, said about a light-skinned character who had very coarse hair.

You gotta give the Cosby show dap for allowing Vanessa and Rudy to rock their natural hair. They were wearing natural hair-esp Vanessa- before it became cool.

When I first saw the ad featuring Beyonce' I thought something looked a little off. I don't think it's her skin but more so her nose. I model locally in Maryland and I know that those lights can be ever so bright during photo shoots let alone the flash on cameras! Because I am a die hard B fan I do know that her skin is rather pale. Recently all the blog sites have been putting pictures up next to the Loreal ad in comparison to prove their point. One thing that you have to take into consideration is the time of year the picture (which they are comparing) was taken. No matter what your race or nationality is, in the summer you will get a tan if you stand in the sun long enough. The award show that B was attending on this particular day took place in the summer. Any woman who wears makeup (and does it well) knows that in the summer months you need a darker foundation when you get a sun tan. Now we don't know when this loreal ad was taken but I suppose it was in the winter months. Beyonce is a very pale faced woman; have you seen her without makeup? NOw I am also not naive about the media and how privy they are to stereotype our beautiful black woman.And as sad as it is, this is the frivilous society we live in.

@ DieHard GTFOH! Beyonce is photochopped to hell in this pic. her nose has been made thinner, her head is slimmer, her cheeks, under her eyes, jawline, and neck have all been digitally tampered with. not to mention all of the extra blond that has been added to her hair and eyebrows. this pic has been altered in such a way that makes Beyonce look more Caucasian. the question is WHY???? we are all beautiful enough naturally, so why the whitewash? wake up and focus. if you truly are a diehard fan, imo you should be outraged. why was the pic not altered to make her nose wider? why not alter her eyes to be more almond shaped, so that she looks more like an Asian person? why not color her hair and eyes jet black like a Native American? you know the answer… the media is portraying you dear "Bey" to look as close to their standard of beauty as possible, which is unnaturally slim, blond and white.

_ I saw this photo in the new Elle. She looks about her usual color, but that nose is still there.

Colorism is so pervasive that even these days statistically speaking a lighter skinned woman will have a happier and more successful life than a darker skinned woman as found by the women that wrote "Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America". I've spent a decent amount of time and effort researching the concepts of colorism and race in general through wikipedia, anthropological articles and various blogs and it's all provided information on colorism in America, I don't know about elsewhere. From what I can find race was created by a white folk back then to mentally distance themselves from black people (I think some sort of justification mechanism, they went through crazy terms and what they called "science" *it wasn't real science.) and create a hierarchy for people of other ethnicities to adhere (which makes it even weirder how they treated the Irish back then) to.

Also, Michelle the only answer I've been able to find as to why colorism is so persistent in the black community in America is in bell hooks Rock My Soul. It focuses on the lack of self-esteem in the black community and how we haven't done any emotional healing.