It is not a debate that Black people are generally not valued because of their skin colour.
That said, even amongst Black people, there is the prioritising of lighter skin. Especially in women.
Inversely, dark skin is what is prioritised in men and dark skinned women are considered masculine and light skinned men considered feminine.
This incidence of colourism leads many women to hate their skin colour or try to bleach their skin to appeal to even romantic partners.
Urban Woman Magazine recently spoke to some women to share their stories around colourism and skin bleaching.
Read their responses below.
Tarinabo
I’ve always been a dark skinned girlie and that was one of the ways I was bullied in school, I was called a lot of things. Although I never thought about bleaching or changing my skin because I had always loved my skin, I just could not understand why it was always a target or something to be ridiculed for.
One time a lady who ran a club in my school I wanted to sign up for told me I would be more pretty if I was lighter in complexion. I was stunned at her bravery but it always just felt weird.
I’d advice younger girls to fall in love and feel comfortable in their skin. If it helps to wear bright colors and see how all that gorgeous melanin glows in contrast to those colors.
MJ
Well, I’m pretty dark, and I’ve heard comments like Blackie, black and shine blah blah blah. I’ve been in situations where my black is compared with another black in the room, and the conclusion is always that I’m the darkest.
I’ve never been one to hate my colour because everyone in my family looks like this, but sometimes I wish I was a bit lighter.
Because of my colour, many people, while in school, have approached me to model for them, and I never gave bleaching a thought. My melanin is so strong, and I love it.
I hear derogatory comments, maybe in an attempt to make me feel less of myself, but I pay no mind🫠
Colourism is a thing, I hope every black woman/girl out there realizes how beautiful they are.
Nwamaka*
I am a twin and we’re so different. I’m tall at 5’10 and she’s short at 5’2 and the funny part is I’m as black as night and she’s hella yellow.
People ask me why I can’t bleach my skin to look more like her. I used to hate how black I was especially since I was the darkest in my family. It took a lot of self love for me to be comfortable in my own skin, especially my oldest sister who’s my biggest cheerleader.
I think I wanted to bleach so bad because modelling agents want light skinned girls and I’m so black.
Why do Nigerians hate black skinned girls? Why should we change who we are to fit in? Why does my skin stop me from certain projects
But if Tyra Banks could make it and Anoka Yai could, so can I.
Colorism is a demon I think. And it’s not fair that one skin tone is favoured over the other especially since we’re all Africans.
Ewawumi
One of the things I love my mum for…..that woman has no shame when she sees a complexion that stuns her😹😭…. especially ladies referred to as black beauty
She’d legit walk up to them and compliment the heck out of them and plead that they should never think of bleaching because their skin is just too beautiful as it is😹🥹❤️
Fay
The first time I ever experienced colourism was when I was in university.
I had joined an ushering agency as a side hustle and on so many occasions, people who held events would request for specific kinds of girls, they mostly wanted very light-skinned girls and on some occasions dark-skinned girls.
So most times my then boss would ask that we file up according to our complexion ‘light skinned girls this way, dark skinned girls that way’.
In my case I wasn’t too light to join the light skinned girls and I was way lighter than the dark skin girls (we were described as caramel lol). I wasn’t the only one in the ushering agency with this skin tone, so on many occasions, we had three different lines (the ushering agency got too toxic for me and I had to leave eventually).
A lot of times, I had thought of ‘toning’ my skin, just a little. I remember the trend of ‘organic creams’. I had reached out to the vendor and all. At the last minute I thought of all the things that could go wrong, from using this so-called mixture; stretch marks as a result of the creams and the worst: skin cancer. I ended up not buying the cream.
In my daily life, I see light-skinned people and automatically define them as beautiful because of their complexion. One day, I had to pause and ask myself, who told me that beauty was determined by skin tone? (Obviously, the media.) I’ve also seen favoritism play out because of complexion. I once had an interview at a company where I noticed a striking number of light-skinned women. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a coincidence, or was it intentional?
Late last year, I came across Beverly Naya’s documentary on skin and it was really beautiful to watch…I have learnt that black comes in different shades and colours; no black skin tone should be seen as more superior than the other.
I’m gradually learning to love my skin complexion. I currently use Nivea body cream and a good body wash to maintain my skin tone. I tell myself I have only one skin and putting harsh chemicals on it will only do more harm than good.
Jojo
I wish this wasn’t a topic that didn’t touch me anytime I see it. I think that this deep rooted hate for darker skin is from fear of being seen as a baboon and as dirty as a slave.
I didn’t actually know I was as dark as I was till I went to secondary school and EVERYONE seemed to point out how dark I was and made it a point to treat me worse because I’m darker. And well maybe the fact that I’m darker makes for a system that describes good things can’t happen to me as it is undeserving.
There’s many girls who thought they were better because they were lighter and why wouldn’t they when everyone else including me treated them better?
I don’t think there was a time in my life I ever considered bleaching but I did have a strong distaste for what I felt my colour looked like and represented.
I think if you truly don’t understand within you that being darker isn’t bad nobody can tell you otherwise.
It’s not a trend, it’s not a phase, it’s who you are and many people would have perceptions about it but you have to within yourself know there is nothing wrong with being darker.
*Name changed to protect identity.
Angel Nduka-Nwosu is a writer, journalist and editor. She moonlights occasionally as a podcaster on As Angel Was Sayin’. Catch her on all socials @asangelwassayin.