Light Skinned Women: Let Go of the Guilt

I’m single just like plenty of other light-skinned women who have trouble finding a mate. I’ve been discriminated against professionally for being what white people can clearly see I am—black. And I’ve been told I was too light-skinned to wear certain shades of makeup or even Halloween costumes.

I’m not about to go on some tragic mulatto tangent because it’s obvious darker-skinned women bear the brunt of the color cross, but that doesn’t mean all light skinned women play into the paper bag wars. It’s this sensitivity to color struck individuals that allows me to take these insults on the chin. It prevents me from making retaliating comments about dark skin even jokingly. It makes me uneasy when writing about whether darker skinned women are affected by something more than others. I don’t think skin tone is an issue lighter-skinned women should ever neglect to be

mindful of until the prejudices against darker-skinned women have been eliminated, but bearing a burden of guilt for being light-skinned is just as unhealthy as hating yourself for being dark.

I’m not dumb enough to think I’m better than anyone else for being a lighter hue and that frees me from any guilt anyone could possibly think about passing on to me.

Have others tried to make you feel guilty for your skin tone or do you inherently feel guilt for being a lighter shade? How do you deal with these individuals or your internal self?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

PREVIOUS NEXT POST

2 of 2

Categories: Beauty