No Industry For Brown Girls? Dawn Richards Speaks On Being Labeled Ugly and Dark Skinned

June 28th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: heonlyjaiden.blogspot.com

Though Dawn Richards may not be one of the top performers in the game, she certainly has had the most successful run as a solo artist of any former group member Diddy put his hands on. Lately, she’s been putting out music videos and new tracks on a consistent basis, holding to her mantra of repping for the brown girls, and in an interview with Carlton Jordan, she spoke about why that representation is so necessary and the type of hatred she’s received not only from industry insiders but also comments on blogs that criticize her for her look and why she’ll never make it big because of it. Here’s some of what she had to say:

I’m repping for the girls who, because of the way we look, were told we couldn’t reach a certain status. That we’re not it. I always say I represent for the brown girls because when you think of a sex symbol and a huge artist, most of the time it isn’t the brown, darker girl. And I’m not dark or even a chocolate girl, but there should be more because there is no color to greatness.

Everybody has their own story…I just know what my journey has been so I only speak on it from what I know and I do know it was a difficult road being this color and having the edge that I have— short hair, the body—it’s different. It isn’t your idea of pretty for people and it’s uncomfortable for them and I like it. I would like to represent for those girls who people say no, you can’t be edgy, and brown, and have a new sound and make it big.

I don’t think people meant it to be mean but when something is different and doesn’t look like your ideal beauty…if they keep being told an idea of pretty is one thing, they’ll believe that pretty and cute Hot is one thing but if you push the line of showing them what that is, those things start to change. That’s what I was going to aim to do because there are a lot of girls who look like me who want to be in this industry but think they probably won’t make it because she’s considered ugly and that’s just not the case.

We sometimes get stuck thinking we’re in the minority when we’re in the minority. The idea of beauty is only 2 percent of people.

Now I know some of you may be thinking her music is more of the problem than her skin tone but there is likely a lot of truth to her story, even just from a marketing perspective. When you look at some of the thrash or even just eccentric music that gets pushed in the business today, with the right machine behind her, Dawn probably could make it big, but as we know marketability as an artist is about 90 percent looks and 10 percent talent and for a brown girl with an edgy, unconventional look as she said, it no doubt makes her climb that much harder.

Check out Dawn’s two-part interview here where she also talks about people calling her ugly, untalented, and even wishing she would die on blogs. What do you think about her perspective?





 

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

More on Madame Noire!

Tags:

, , , ,
More from StyleBlazer
More from MommyNoire

MadameNoire Video

Comment Disclaimer

Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN

← Older Comments
  • Nicole Little

    I think people tend to forget that there IS such thing as brown skin tone. A brown skin tone is not too light and not too dark, but in the middle. Back in th 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s (2000-2003), black female singers of ALL shades were represented and they were POPULAR, and they CROSSED OVER!! Nowadays, you have to be either biracial or very very very light skinned to make it real far. Back then, it wasn’t like this. If Dawn Richards came out in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, she would make it big, but not nowadays.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Que-Stevenson/1204180733 Que Stevenson

    My younger brother and I have the same mother and father, but he came out my mother’s shade “yellow” and I came out my father’s shade “dark” (though we tend to change shades with the season) Growing up, I’d have arguments with people because they would ask if one of us was adopted. We looked alike, he was just much lighter than me. Some people in my family made comments about my color, hinting that my brother should have been the darker one. I was never made to feel ugly though. I was always told I was cute, or pretty. I love my dark brown skin with redish/orange undertones, and my almost black; kinky, curly hair. I just choose to wear CONFIDENCE instead of my skin color.

  • IJS

    Oh Please.
    I’m not denying colorism exists in the entertainment industry, but sometimes us brown skinned girls are too quick to pull that card.
    As if light skinned women are granted free passes inside the music industry. It’s a tough industry to break into period, regardless of whether you’re light skinned, brown skinned or f’n albino.
    Sounds like she’s the one with the color complex, talkin bout she’s “not even a dark or chocolate girl”. Smh FOH

← Older Comments
Get the MadameNoire
Newsletter The best stories sent right to your inbox!
close [x]