The Trauma Response of Colorism

Colorism can indeed be understood as a trauma response deeply rooted in the legacy of colonialism, slavery, and systemic racism, particularly in the Black diaspora. It operates as both a form of internalized oppression and a perpetuation of the hierarchies established by white supremacy. To fully grasp how colorism is connected to trauma, we need to explore its historical and psychological dimensions.

Historical Roots and Trauma of Colorism:

Colorism, which privileges lighter skin over darker skin, is a direct result of colonial violence and the global system of white supremacy. During slavery in the Americas, enslaved Africans with lighter skin were often given preferential treatment by enslavers, such as being assigned “house” work, while those with darker skin were relegated to harsher labor in the fields. This division was deliberately used to create internal conflict and mistrust within Black communities, ensuring that unity, which could lead to resistance, was undermined.

Psychologist Dr. Joy DeGruy, in her theory of Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS), explains how the trauma of enslavement has been passed down intergenerationally, leading to vacant esteem and behaviors like internalized racism and colorism. The devaluation of darker skin tones can be seen as an ongoing reaction to this historical trauma, perpetuated by systemic structures that still associate whiteness with beauty, worth, and opportunity.

Psychological Impact of Colorism:

From a psychological perspective, colorism is a response to the pervasive trauma of white supremacy, functioning as both a coping mechanism and a form of self-preservation. Individuals may internalize the belief that lighter skin brings higher social status, access to resources, and safety in a racist society, thereby contributing to survival strategies. This can manifest in harmful ways, such as the desire to distance oneself from darker skin tones or African features, which mirrors the larger societal devaluation of Blackness.

Africana phenomenologist Paget Henry and scholars such as Dr. William A. Smith highlight how these systemic assaults on Black identity create a form of racial battle fatigue, where constant microaggressions, including those related to skin tone, contribute to psychological stress. This manifests as self-hate, insecurity, and divisions within Black communities.

Trauma Response and Healing:

Seeing colorism as a trauma response also points toward potential healing. Acknowledging the deep roots of colorism can help Black communities and individuals heal from the scars of colonial and racial trauma. Black psychologists such as Dr. Thema Bryant and Dr. Shelly Harrell focus on the importance of healing practices that center Black joy, self-acceptance, and community support as strategies to combat the psychological harm of colorism. This includes affirming Blackness in all its shades, celebrating African features, and unlearning internalized racism.

Understanding colorism as a trauma response also emphasizes the need for collective healing. Conversations around colorism can help dismantle these harmful beliefs and foster a stronger sense of unity and empowerment within the community. By addressing the root causes of this trauma, we can work toward more inclusive and supportive practices that honor the full spectrum of Blackness.

In short, colorism is a trauma response to white supremacy and colonialism, perpetuated through generations of racial trauma. Healing from colorism involves a deliberate, culturally rooted process of reclaiming Black identity, dignity, and unity.

How Colorism Has Been Used In White Media

Colorism has been strategically used in white media and propaganda to uphold the ideology of white supremacy by reinforcing harmful stereotypes and creating divisions within Black and other communities of color. Historically and in contemporary times, media and propaganda have played pivotal roles in promoting the idea that lighter skin is more valuable, desirable, and closer to whiteness, while darker skin is associated with inferiority, criminality, or lack of sophistication. This manipulation has served multiple purposes, including justifying systemic oppression, perpetuating colonial and racist ideologies, and maintaining hierarchical power structures.

Historical Context of Colorism in White Media:

Colonial Propaganda and the “Civilizing” Mission: During European colonization of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, lighter-skinned populations were often portrayed as being more “civilized” or more amenable to European ways, while darker-skinned people were depicted as barbaric, primitive, or in need of salvation. These portrayals aligned with the colonial “civilizing mission,” which justified the subjugation of indigenous and African peoples under the guise of bringing them closer to Western, Eurocentric ideals of modernity and morality. The lighter skin of mixed-race individuals, often the result of sexual exploitation by colonizers, was used as evidence that whiteness had “improved” the native population.

In the U.S. context, minstrel shows of the 19th and early 20th centuries portrayed dark-skinned Black people as caricatures, exaggerating their features and associating them with subservience, laziness, or buffoonery. This reinforced ideas of Black inferiority and the notion that Blackness—especially darker skin—was undesirable.

The “House Slave” vs. “Field Slave” Dichotomy: Media representations of slavery in films like Gone with the Wind (1939) further entrenched colorism by portraying lighter-skinned enslaved people as more refined, trustworthy, or closer to the white families they served. This imagery was consistent with the real-life practices of enslavers who treated mixed-race and lighter-skinned individuals with slightly more favor, reinforcing divisions within the enslaved Black population and justifying the racial caste system.

Such portrayals were not limited to cinema but extended into literature and art, where lighter-skinned or “mulatto” characters were often depicted as tragic figures torn between the worlds of Black and white, emphasizing the supposed privilege of light skin in a racially stratified society.

Colorism in Modern Media and Advertising:

Beauty Standards and Eurocentrism: White media has long promoted Eurocentric beauty standards that privilege lighter skin, straighter hair, and European facial features. In advertising, magazine covers, and Hollywood films, Black women with lighter skin tones have been disproportionately represented as the ideal of Black beauty. Darker-skinned individuals, on the other hand, are often either excluded or portrayed in stereotypical, dehumanizing ways.

For example, in the early days of film and television, Black actresses like Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, and Eartha Kitt, who were lighter-skinned, were far more likely to be cast in “glamorous” or “leading lady” roles than their darker-skinned counterparts. The lack of representation of dark-skinned women in these roles reinforced the idea that beauty and desirability were associated with lighter skin. This continued into the modern era, where lighter-skinned actresses like Halle Berry and Zoe Saldana often receive more mainstream recognition, reinforcing colorist hierarchies.

Media Stereotyping of Dark-Skinned Characters: Dark-skinned characters, especially Black men, are often stereotyped as aggressive, violent, or hyper-masculine. This is evident in numerous films, TV shows, and even news reporting, where darker-skinned Black men are disproportionately cast as criminals, gang members, or thugs. This stereotype feeds into the racial bias that associates darkness with danger, further stigmatizing darker-skinned individuals.

In contrast, lighter-skinned Black men are often depicted as more refined, professional, or educated, contributing to the trope of the “good Black man” who is more assimilated into white societal norms. This binary between “good” and “bad” Black people, based on skin tone, serves the interests of white supremacy by creating internal division and by promoting the idea that proximity to whiteness (in appearance and behavior) equates to moral or social superiority.

Global Colorism in Beauty Products and Skin Whitening: The global beauty industry, influenced heavily by Western standards, has long promoted skin-whitening products, especially in regions like Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean. Advertisements for these products, often controlled by Western multinational companies, depict lighter skin as synonymous with success, attractiveness, and social mobility. This plays into colorist ideologies by suggesting that darker skin is a flaw to be corrected.

A striking example can be found in advertising campaigns for skin lighteners, where women of darker skin are portrayed as unhappy or unsuccessful until they lighten their skin. At this point, they are shown as more attractive, confident, or desirable. This perpetuates the harmful notion that Blackness, especially in its darker hues, is undesirable and that lighter skin brings access to better opportunities, which can be traced back to colonial power dynamics.

Psychological and Social Impact:

Internalized Colorism and Self-Worth: Media representations have contributed to the internalization of colorist attitudes within Black and other communities of color. People who are bombarded with images that favor lighter skin may begin to internalize feelings of inferiority if they do not meet these standards. Dr. Joy DeGruy’s work on Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome explains how generations of trauma, reinforced by these media portrayals, can lead to internalized racism, where individuals devalue their own skin color and those of others within their community.

This also manifests in what sociologists call “the beauty hierarchy”, where lighter-skinned individuals, particularly women, are often perceived as more attractive, valuable, or professional, leading to disparities in job opportunities, social status, and even romantic relationships.

Social Division and Hierarchies: By promoting colorist ideals, white media has effectively deepened divisions within Black and other marginalized communities. The preference for lighter skin in popular culture can lead to intraracial conflicts and hierarchies, where individuals within the same racial group are treated differently based on their skin tone. This divides communities that might otherwise unite in resisting racism and white supremacy.

This division plays into the hands of a system that benefits from Black disunity. If Black people are focused on fighting each other over issues of skin tone, they are less likely to organize against the structural forces that perpetuate racism.

Colorism in white media and propaganda is a deliberate tool of white supremacy, perpetuating a hierarchy that favors lighter skin and stigmatizes darker skin. This manipulation has deep historical roots, stretching back to colonialism and slavery, and continues to manifest in modern beauty standards, media portrayals, and global advertising. The consequences are profound, impacting self-esteem, social unity, and the perpetuation of systemic racism. Recognizing and challenging these colorist representations is crucial in the broader struggle for racial justice and healing within the Black community.

A Brief History of Colorism

Colorism has played a significant role in shaping societal dynamics throughout history, particularly concerning colonialism, slavery, and racial stratification. In a conversation with Dr. Matthew Knowles, he shared his journey of why he preferred light-skinned Black women over dark-skinned Black women, leading to what his therapist called Eroticized Rage. He also wrote extensively about this topic of colorism in his book Racism From the Eyes of a Child.

Below are several notable moments in history where colorism has influenced social, political, and cultural outcomes:

1. The “Casta” System in Colonial Latin America

Time Period: 16th – 18th centuries
Context: Following the colonization of Latin America by Spain and Portugal, the Spanish colonial authorities implemented a racial hierarchy called the Casta system, which ranked individuals based on their racial heritage. In this system, peninsulares (Europeans born in Spain) and criollos (Europeans born in the Americas) were at the top, followed by mixed-race individuals (mestizos, mulattos, etc.), with Black and Indigenous people at the bottom.
Role of Colorism: Within this racial hierarchy, lighter-skinned mixed-race people were given privileges, such as better access to education, jobs, and social mobility. The system stratified people based on their degree of whiteness, creating lasting divisions within the colonial societies. The closer someone appeared to being white, the more social capital they had, while darker-skinned people were excluded from power and wealth.
Impact: The Casta system institutionalized colorism and reinforced the association of lighter skin with higher status, an ideology that continues to affect Latin American societies today.

2. House Slave vs. Field Slave Divide

Time Period: 17th – 19th centuries
Context: During the transatlantic slave trade, enslaved Africans were often divided into different categories based on their skin color. Lighter-skinned enslaved people, many of whom were the result of sexual exploitation by white enslavers, were frequently assigned to work in the “Big House” (house slaves). At the same time, darker-skinned individuals were often relegated to harsher labor in the fields.
Role of Colorism: Enslavers used colorism to create divisions among enslaved people, with lighter-skinned individuals sometimes being seen as more “refined” or “trustworthy.” This division fostered resentment between the two groups and was a deliberate tactic to undermine solidarity among enslaved Africans, preventing unified resistance against the brutality of slavery.
Impact: This hierarchy within slavery contributed to internalized colorism, with lighter-skinned individuals often receiving preferential treatment, reinforcing the idea that lighter skin was superior. This dynamic has echoed throughout Black communities in the U.S. long after the end of slavery.

3. The “Paper Bag Test” and “Blue Vein Societies”

Time Period: Late 19th century – mid-20th century
Context: In the post-slavery era, colorism continued to shape the lives of Black Americans, particularly within elite Black communities. The “Paper Bag Test” was an informal practice in which social organizations, sororities, and fraternities would only admit Black people whose skin was lighter than a brown paper bag. Similarly, some groups known as Blue Vein Societies were formed by lighter-skinned Black people who believed that those with visible veins (indicative of lighter skin) were more “acceptable” or “worthy.”
Role of Colorism: These tests and societies functioned as gatekeepers, maintaining a social hierarchy within Black communities based on skin color. They reinforced the idea that proximity to whiteness, both in terms of appearance and cultural behavior, was more desirable.
Impact: These practices not only excluded darker-skinned Black people from elite Black spaces but also perpetuated self-hatred and internalized racism. It created long-lasting divisions within Black communities and further entrenched white supremacist notions of beauty and status.

4. Jim Crow Laws and Legal “Whiteness”

Time Period: 1877 – 1965
Context: During the era of Jim Crow segregation in the United States, white supremacy was maintained not only through legal segregation but also through rigid definitions of race. However, lighter-skinned Black individuals sometimes passed as white in order to escape the oppressive conditions imposed by Jim Crow laws.
Role of Colorism: The practice of “passing” relied on colorism, as individuals who were light enough to be perceived as white could enjoy certain privileges denied to darker-skinned Black people. This included access to better jobs, education, and social mobility. Colorism also informed the legal battles over racial classification, with courts sometimes deciding who was legally “white” or “Black” based on appearance.
Impact: Colorism reinforced the idea that proximity to whiteness was desirable and advantageous, leading to complex social dynamics where some Black individuals rejected their own heritage to escape racial oppression. This had long-term psychological and social consequences for those who passed, as well as for the wider Black community.

5. The Harlem Renaissance and Colorism in Black Art and Culture

Time Period: 1920s
Context: During the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that celebrated Black art, music, and intellectualism, colorism influenced how Black individuals were represented in literature, theater, and visual arts. While the movement celebrated Black identity, it also reflected the colorist attitudes that were prevalent in society at the time.
Role of Colorism: Prominent figures in the movement, such as writer Nella Larsen and others, explored themes of colorism in their works, depicting the complexities of racial identity and the struggles of lighter-skinned individuals who were torn between two worlds. At the same time, lighter-skinned performers like Josephine Baker became international stars, while darker-skinned performers faced more barriers.
Impact: While the Harlem Renaissance sought to uplift Black culture, it also highlighted the deep divisions within the community based on skin tone. The movement brought attention to the struggles of Black people to navigate a world where their proximity to whiteness often judged their worth.

6. The Brown Paper Bag Test in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Time Period: 20th century (mid-century peak)
Context: Colorism also infiltrated the Black educational system, particularly in HBCUs, where some fraternities, sororities, and social organizations employed the paper bag test or other measures to determine membership.
Role of Colorism: These institutions, which were intended to empower Black people, often mirrored the colorism that existed in the wider society. Some prestigious sororities, fraternities, and student groups would only admit those who had lighter skin, thus perpetuating colorism and reinforcing a hierarchy based on skin tone.
Impact: By excluding darker-skinned students, these practices promoted a harmful hierarchy within Black educational institutions and exacerbated divisions within the Black community, affecting both personal relationships and professional opportunities for students.

7. Skin Whitening Campaigns in Global Media

Time Period: 20th century – Present
Context: Skin-whitening products have been aggressively marketed worldwide, particularly in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Companies promoted these products by portraying lighter skin as more beautiful and successful.
Role of Colorism: In many post-colonial societies, colonialism’s lingering effects have included a deeply ingrained preference for lighter skin. The beauty industry has capitalized on this by perpetuating colorism by suggesting that darker skin is less desirable. Advertisements often depict a transformation narrative where a person’s life improves after their skin becomes lighter.
Impact: The global proliferation of skin whitening products has reinforced colorism and has had damaging psychological effects on millions of people, leading to health risks due to the use of unsafe products and the perpetuation of self-hate tied to skin color.

8. Casting in Hollywood and Colorism in the Entertainment Industry

Time Period: 20th century – Present
Context: Hollywood and the global entertainment industry have long preferred lighter-skinned Black actors and actresses for leading roles. Even when representing Black or African cultures, lighter-skinned individuals are often chosen to represent the ideal.
Role of Colorism: This dynamic is visible in the film industry, where lighter-skinned Black actresses like Halle Berry, Beyoncé, and Zendaya are more likely to receive mainstream recognition, while darker-skinned actresses face greater barriers to success. This bias reflects broader societal preferences for lighter skin and proximity to whiteness.
Impact: The consistent preference for lighter-skinned actors in media perpetuates colorism by conveying that lighter skin is more acceptable, palatable, or desirable to audiences. It reinforces the notion that beauty and talent are closely tied to skin color, excluding many talented, darker-skinned actors from major opportunities.

Colorism has played a significant role in various historical moments and continues to affect contemporary society. Its roots in colonialism, slavery, and white supremacy have left deep scars within Black and other marginalized communities, reinforcing divisions based on skin tone and proximity to whiteness. By understanding these moments, we can better recognize how colorism continues to shape identity, opportunity, and self-worth and work toward healing these wounds.

The Colorism of the Green Lantern

The racial controversy surrounding Green Lantern primarily revolves around the introduction and portrayal of black Green Lanterns in the comic book series. Here are the key aspects of this controversy:

Introduction of John Stewart

In 1971, DC Comics introduced John Stewart, the first black Green Lantern, in Green Lantern Vol 2 #87[1]. This was a significant moment in comic book history, representing one of the earliest attempts to diversify superhero characters.

Reactions to John Stewart:

Some readers welcomed the inclusion of a black superhero
Others criticized it as a form of tokenism or affirmative action in comics
The story focused more on the white Green Lantern Hal Jordan’s reaction to Stewart rather than Stewart’s own heroism[1]

Portrayal and Representation

Stereotyping: Some portrayals of black Green Lanterns have been criticized for relying on racial stereotypes. For example, a recent image of a new black Green Lantern wearing a mask and carrying a gun was seen by some as playing into negative stereotypes about black men[4].

Limited Roles: Critics have pointed out that black characters in superhero comics, including Green Lantern, often play secondary roles to white protagonists[2].

Media Adaptation Controversy

When the 2011 Green Lantern movie was released starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, many viewers were surprised and disappointed:

Many people’s primary exposure to Green Lantern was through animated series featuring John Stewart as Green Lantern[2]
This led to confusion and criticism when a white actor was cast in the role for the live-action film

Broader Context

The Green Lantern controversy is part of a larger discussion about diversity and representation in comics and superhero media:

There’s ongoing debate about changing the race of established characters versus creating new diverse characters[3]
Some fans resist changes to traditional character portrayals, while others advocate for more diverse representation
The controversy reflects broader societal discussions about race, representation, and the evolution of media to reflect changing demographics

The Green Lantern racial controversy highlights the complex issues surrounding representation in popular media and the ongoing challenges of diversifying traditionally white-dominated superhero narratives.

Citations:

[1] http://sequart.org/magazine/70434/green-lanterns-burden-re-evaluating-the-superhero-genres-woke-moment/

[2] https://bleedingcool.com/comics/how-people-reacted-to-a-black-green-lantern-in-1971/

[3] https://ebonstorm.wordpress.com/2015/08/12/why-did-dc-and-marvel-change-the-ethnicity-of-its-characters-green-lantern-and-johnny-storm-was-it-to-be-more-politically-correct/

[4] http://www.kleefeldoncomics.com/2012/06/racism-bigotry-green-lantern.html

[5] https://www.vulture.com/2018/04/green-lantern-green-arrow-76-woke-superheroes.html

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