Why is our society more accepting of light skin people?

Question

I mean in within each race there are differences in skin pigments. It seems that in each culture the lighter skin people are valued more and put on a pedestal. I've seen this in the Indian culture, Latino/Hispanic cultures, African American etc.. I'm a very dark skin Black woman (originally from Uganda) as a kid I was picked on because of that.....but why? I don't get what's so ugly about dark skin and what's so better about light skin? Are we conditioned to think that the lighter you are the prettier, the better you are? We can't just blame the media because the "media" is somewhat a reflection of our society and how we interpret things as people. I would love to hear other's opinions and views on this topic. I'm really not trying to cause racial tension or anything, I just want to understand this whole skin color issue better.

Answer 1

It is true in South Asia (India and Bangladesh) People prefer light skinned person while marrying. Most Indians and Bangladeshis have brown skin when the time comes for marriage they prefer some one lighter skinned. In North India girls are lighter skinned and in South India they are darker.I agree with you totally you cannot just blame the media for that. I think it is more of a personal preference. I am brown in skin color I would love to marry or Date some one like Alicia Keys, Salma Hayek etc. Women pale like Scandinavian countries do not attract me.

Answer 2

I don't know where that whole light, dark skin thing came from! I think dark skinned women are beautiful! I'm a white woman and don't like to tan because I'm 49 and I hear it all the time! I don't tan because I don't want skin cancer and all the wrinkles associated with the tan thing. If I tan naturally while doing yard work fine but skin color is not even an issue for me. I don't get the whole big thing about it. I have 7 grandchildren and they all look different. I have a black son that is 32 and he is bi-racial and when he had a daughter with the mother being bi-racial, she came out beautiful with beautiful skin pretty blue-green eyes and a personality to match ( she is now 13). I have a granddaughter that has Blondie hair and ice blue eyes. I have brown hair and brown eyes grandsons. I don't really think there is anything to understand about this I just think people always can find fault in just about anything. I prefer to just keep in simple and enjoy life. It's a shame they have the children brainwashed already isn't that taking the innocense away?
That was a sad story you told.

Answer 3

It really is the media and that old stereotype continuing to force those ideas on everyone. I used to think that was crazy, but I think the most telling thing I heard from anyone was my grandmother telling me she really didn't trust dark skinned black people. And she was darker skinned than I was! I was stunned and even she said she knew she was wrong, but that was something she'd always heard.

There was a VERY concerted effort in the past to make people of color feel less than all over the world and it really worked (and hasn't quite stopped yet). Admittedly, there's a whole extra level that makes even Caucasian women feel like they need to be slimmer, blonder and otherwise more model-like, but for the rest of the world, we've been told for so long that we just needed to be more white. It DOES seem to be changing, though there's still quite a ways to go.

There's a very interesting study that was done that actually helped the Brown v. Board of Education case where black children presented with dolls thought the black ones were bad and the white ones were good. VERY scary to think you could make an entire people believe they are unequal. Here's a link to the video about it: http://www.blackprof.com/archives/2007/01/black_doll_bad_white_doll_good.html

Answer 4

i have noticed that this is even the case within the black community. black people make a bigger deal about someone of the same race being really dark...don't really know why this is the case because people come in all different packages and i think it would suck to be the same shade as everyone else.
as a white woman, i am very, very pale and i have been picked on my whole life for this very reason. i don't believe the statement "the lighter you are the prettier" is the best way to say it because even white women would rather be darker as proven buy the booming business of tanning salons. i think it is somewhere in the middle.

i could write a novel on this topic but it just boils down to one thing, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

infinite love and gratitude!!!

Answer 5

What an interesting topic... I myself am a mix of cultures but I happen 2 b one of the lightest people in my entire family. I was picked on even into adulthood & told I was "white" by alot of people who were "minorities" but white people generally do not think I look white but still seem to agree that I have a paleness about me. I never know what people are going 2 make of me but I can rest assured they are going to have something 2 say about me every time. That's just the way it is. One possibility is that the digs actually have nothing to do at all w/ your skin tone; jealousy will have people trying 2 pick everything about you apart in an attempt to debase you so they can feel better. I learned this myself in hindsight; as I have always been regarded as very beautiful, but @ the same time picked on for some of the things I later realized were the very essence of my beauty...

Answer 6

Like you said it has happened to every race, even among europeans back then. The people who were extra pale were considered more something and the ones who worked outside who had a tan were considered less. However dont forget that society isnt too fond of those who are really light either as some people pick on those who are pale. If it makes you feel any better, from what I've heard, people who are extremely light are far more vulnerable to sunburn than those who are a little darker. But anyway, yes our society is screwed up and like you said this has happened to every race, so at least its not just for one specific race. We are and we're not conditioned to think this about the light people. Its never been said or been written in stone that the light people are better or whatever but if you look at hollywood, there arent a whole lot of people who are dark from any race really. And since everyone in hollywood is supposed to be hot then it just leaves room for that. I find it stupid though that you got made fun of being dark considering that most people in africa tend to be darker than those in the us and so its like people are trying to forget their roots. The same happens among latinos where we got the brown from the indians who mixed with the spanish but yet those who look more indian like are looked down as less attractive. I know stupid and weird but hold your head up high and just be proud of who you are.

Answer 7

It is world wide, in many cultures women are made to look pale as a way of making them appealing. This has gone on for centuries, even before Europeans started sailing all over the world. So you're right it's not the media.
I don't know the answer, but the cause runs deep in all of human kind.

Hey, I would have picked you up. Your skin tone is beautiful as well as what shines from your eyes.
.

Answer 8

Nothing's wrong with dark skin. A lot of times I wish I had dark skin - my skin scars really easily and because I'm light, its always very obvious. I literally change colors during the seasons...in the summer when I'm tanned I always feel like I look so much healthier - no blue veins showing through my legs, no yellow-ness like I have jaundice :/

Answer 9

I'm not sure when it started. But I think it's stupid. Interestingly, it is changing some though. I'm a white woman and I date black men, and my preference is for men that are darker. By that I mean, I don't really prefer the really light men. I prefer a brotha with a nice chocolate color to him. And I really don't care how dark he is, I just don't care for very, very light skinned men. I happen to find dark-skinned men very sexy. And I think that dark skinned women are beautiful.
So my feeling is, stand up and be proud of your skin. There are a ton of white women out there laying in the sun trying to get their skin darker. I protect my skin every day because I don't want skin cancer, but I'd love to have your beautiful skin.

Answer 10

When I say society I mean american society. I think its mainly because RIGHT NOW the majority of people are white/european descent so we see images of them ore than any other race.

You better believe the whole world is not this way. Every society, culture, race, etc has their own idea of beauty but b/c the majority in this country are white/european descent that is what we see.