Understanding the color complex
Ashley Minner
Issue date: 11/10/06 Section: Opinion
Some people think it's safe to say that minorities, specifically blacks, complain a lot about things they do not have or do not get or people who have done them wrong. But what those people may not understand is that we can be the roots of a lot of our own problems, socially, politically and economically.
We can be our own worst enemy. There is an ongoing dilemma that dates much farther back than anyone in this era can remember.
This issue is not a new one, rather, it is one that's rarely addressed. One problem we face that is still unsolved originated in the days of slavery: the field slave versus the house slave. Today, this problem has been coined "the color complex."
During slavery, people decided the darker the complexion of the slave or the more African their features, such as wide noses and kinky hair, the more work they would be given, and they would receive harsher punishment.
The lighter or fairer-skinned slaves with more European physical features, most of whom were conceived by slave masters raping their slaves, often were not treated as harshly and were given a lighter work load. These biracial slaves also sometimes lived in the "big house" instead of backyard shacks, as their more chocolate counterparts did.
One possible benefit for the café au lait colored slaves is the idea of "passing" once slavery was abolished. These slaves were often so fair-skinned that they could pass as white, which meant it was easier to find jobs and assimilate into a culture in which they'd been excluded. However, some 140 years later, the color complex is still an issue within the black community.
During the late 1980s and the early '90s, black male entertainers that dominated the industry were often light-skinned with curly hair. Examples of these men can be seen with acts from El Debarge to Al B. Sure. Women loved them and darker-skinned men wanted to be them.
Some of the early years of Ebony and Jet magazines used to run advertisements for skin bleaching cream and hair-straightening kits. They also featured cover girls like the very light-skinned Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge. It was almost as if blacks felt that if they were white, they would be all right.
We can be our own worst enemy. There is an ongoing dilemma that dates much farther back than anyone in this era can remember.
This issue is not a new one, rather, it is one that's rarely addressed. One problem we face that is still unsolved originated in the days of slavery: the field slave versus the house slave. Today, this problem has been coined "the color complex."
During slavery, people decided the darker the complexion of the slave or the more African their features, such as wide noses and kinky hair, the more work they would be given, and they would receive harsher punishment.
The lighter or fairer-skinned slaves with more European physical features, most of whom were conceived by slave masters raping their slaves, often were not treated as harshly and were given a lighter work load. These biracial slaves also sometimes lived in the "big house" instead of backyard shacks, as their more chocolate counterparts did.
One possible benefit for the café au lait colored slaves is the idea of "passing" once slavery was abolished. These slaves were often so fair-skinned that they could pass as white, which meant it was easier to find jobs and assimilate into a culture in which they'd been excluded. However, some 140 years later, the color complex is still an issue within the black community.
During the late 1980s and the early '90s, black male entertainers that dominated the industry were often light-skinned with curly hair. Examples of these men can be seen with acts from El Debarge to Al B. Sure. Women loved them and darker-skinned men wanted to be them.
Some of the early years of Ebony and Jet magazines used to run advertisements for skin bleaching cream and hair-straightening kits. They also featured cover girls like the very light-skinned Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge. It was almost as if blacks felt that if they were white, they would be all right.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 8
andrew
posted 8/22/08 @ 3:19 PM CST
As a dark complexioned male, I've had experiences where my lighter complexion brothers and sisters were more
racist in there interactions with me than europeans. (Continued…)
AllPeople
AllPeople
posted 5/18/09 @ 12:08 AM CST
.
Actually --- this concept that so many people have
-- that the lighter-complexioned chattel slaves "had
it easier" or "thought they were better" than the
darker-complexioned slaves – and / or "worked
in the big house" while the darker-complexioned
"suffered in the fields" -- is all VERY MUCH AN
URBAN MYTH which, (in nearly every way that's
possible) defies the true historical recorded account. (Continued…)
meladerm
posted 7/10/09 @ 2:02 PM CST
This is so strange. I really hope we can move past skin color one of these days.
AP
posted 8/08/09 @ 10:17 PM CST
.
On the topic of 'house and field slave' --
as well as that of 'dark and light skin' --
I thought you all might enjoy reading the
information found in the following links. (Continued…)
Berta
posted 11/18/09 @ 10:42 PM CST
I am working on my graduate thesis about the color complex. I would love to interview those folks on facebook. By the way, I never believe this myth because Blacks are all powerless people. (Continued…)
AllPeople
AP Gifts
posted 11/19/09 @ 7:43 AM CST
.
Hi Berta,
Just wanted to say "bravo to you" for having
NEVER bought into this ridiculous urban MYTH.
It truly seems that VERY FEW people have ever had
the foresight (or perhaps courage) to ever dare
to question it. (Continued…)
Post a Comment