{"id":921,"date":"2016-04-03T12:00:44","date_gmt":"2016-04-03T17:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=921"},"modified":"2016-03-30T18:03:40","modified_gmt":"2016-03-30T23:03:40","slug":"colorism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2016\/04\/03\/colorism\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorism and Divisions Among Black Women"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Zoe<\/a>
Zoe Saldana, left, and Nine Simone, right. Image via ABC News Entertainment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zoe Saldana\u2019s portrayal<\/a> of singer and activist Nina Simone in an upcoming biopic has proven controversial, even before the film\u2019s premiere. In press photos, Saldana, a light-skinned woman of color, is clearly wearing dark makeup and a prosthetic nose to appear more like the late singer. Some argue using \u201cblackface\u201d in order to cast Saldana is particularly troubling considering Nina Simone\u2019s own life-long dedication to encouraging the acceptance and embrace of dark skin tones. It also ignores the realities of colorism, which reproduces social inequalities and hierarchies among people of color.<\/p>\n

Several studies address the benefits that accrue to light-skinned women. Employers, for example, often evaluate women applicants on physical attractiveness, regardless of job skills. This includes privileging physical features that suggest lighter-skinned women are friendlier and more intelligent. Lighter skin tones also make their female bearers more likely to marry spouses with higher incomes, report less perceived job discrimination, and earn a higher income<\/a>. In schools, studies find that teachers expect their lighter-skinned students to display better behavior and higher intelligence than their darker peers, and public health research shows lower rates of mental and physical health problems among lighter-skinned blacks<\/a>.<\/h5>\n