There are many aspects of the industry that are problematic and need to be changed. These include problems such as sexism, ableism and racism. However, this can sometimes be a little more specific than just racism. Colorism is a massive problem in this industry. This discrimination is often less noticed but still a big issue.
First of all, what does the word colorism mean? Colorism means prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Colorism is present in the entertainment industry.
Music industry
In the entertainment industry, light-skinned peers are given more privilege than dark-skinned peers. That concept is centuries old. For example, many light-skinned women such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj are being positioned at the forefront of Black female artists in the music industry.
Film industry
The portrayal of people with lighter skin is very present in India’s Bollywood film industry. In addition, the “paper bag” test is in the film industry. The concept of this test is to distinguish if you’re darker than a paper bag. If you are, you are seen as an ugly person that men don’t want. A famous actress, Viola Davis, has already done this test.
Fashion industry
Colorism is very present in the fashion industry. The fashion industry supports stereotypes of dark-skinned black women by not giving them exposure. On top of that, they also encourage lighter skin by lightening the makeup products and not distributing darker shades. This causes dark-skinned individuals to want lighter skin.
Many industries are plagued by the idea that lighter skin is prettier.
These industries need to realize that representation is crucial, and all skin colours are beautiful. Diversifying certain aspects of these industries would be a great way to help break these false standards, such as offering darker makeup shades. Dark-skinned people are just as worthy of love and appreciation as any other lighter-skinned individual, and it’s time the world realized that.
Sources:
nbcnews.com
ir.uiowa.edu
wbls.com
pudding.cool
medium.com
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