Today, I am revisiting the first blog I wrote for the collective in 2010. I can’t remember why I wrote about colorism, but it feels as fitting and relevant today as it did two years ago when I first found the words. I wrote about how “You’re pretty for a dark-skinned girl” is a backwards pseudo-compliment that leaves dark-skinned girls caught up in a conundrum and half-smile, wondering if the two things she is being called (the two things she is) are oxymoronic, canceling each other out—does being pretty make up for being dark-skinned, does being dark-skinned cancel out being pretty? …Read more »
Tag Archives: colorism
Throwback Thursday: “You’re Pretty for a Dark-Skinned girl!”
Category: Race, Self-Care | Tags: beauty standards, colorism, dark-skin, mythical norms, self esteem
Battle of the What?: A Brief Reflection on the Battle of the Complexions Controversy
I am sick and tired of the cultural story line that insists only one version (complexion) of black women can be “in style” (beautiful, popular, desirable) at any given time. There seems to be a not-so-invisible scale that insinuates that black beauty is either light or dark, always one or the other, never both/and. Binary thinking is always problematic and especially in this instance because these evaluations are inextricably linked to issues of self-esteem and self-worth. In a …Read more »
Sex, Scripts, & Single Ladies
I’ll admit it. When VH1’s scripted dramedy Single Ladies premiered a few weeks ago I had very low expectations–so low, in fact, that I forgot it was even coming on that night. It wasn’t until I logged on to my Facebook and saw a bunch of statements like, “OMG!” “He said what?” “Stacey Dash is how old?” “Why does LisaRaye always play herself?” that I realized the show was on. So, I flipped the channel to VH1 to see what all the buzz was about. To tell the truth, it took me a minute to even find VH1 because a channel …Read more »
Category: Film & TV, Pop Culture, Relationships | Tags: colorism, friendship, Pop Culture, scripted tv, single ladies, Vh1
Ode to Dark (Skinned) Girls
My melanin proficiency has often led to color complex(ion) issues brought on by my country (rural) upbringing in a community (and country) fascinated (via the hegemonic influences of beauty) with my yellow-skinned sister with looooooooooooooooooooong hair and generally ambivalent with me (and my dark skin and short/er hair). They (the adults and other children in my life) always knew my sister was beautiful but for me it took time, years, deep long looks and depth of consideration to finally determine that I was cute, ish, beautiful even for a dark-skinned girl. I have often pondered the implications of those terms of my …Read more »
More Musings on Melanin (or lack there of)
“Depending on the context, an individual may be an oppressor, a member of an oppressed group, or simultaneously oppressor and oppressed.” -Patricia Hill Collins “The true focus of revolutionary change is never merely the oppressive situations which we seek to escape, but that piece of the oppressor which is planted deep within each of us.” -Audre Lorde *Mic check* Is this thing on? *Dodges balled up brown paper bags* Hello, all. First, we’re really grateful for the lively discussion our little polemic has engendered. We’ve been monitoring the discussion both in the comments section and in Twittropolis, but wanted to …Read more »
Category: Activism, Pop Culture | Tags: Black Women, colorism, people of color, poc, privilege, race, racism, skin color
Huey Newton Complexes
Whatever does one mean by the phrase, “Huey Newton Complex(es)”? So glad you asked. A Huey Newton Complex is a rather snarky, yet awesomely witty way of describing a light skinned person crunk about (their) blackness in ways that, perhaps, obscure other realities that may indeed inflect (their) blackness–like gender identification, sexuality, economic class, or skin color. The one drop rule notwithstanding, Huey Newton Complexes goad light skinned Negroes into stringently proving and deploying their blackness just in case one raises an eyebrow around the melanin content of their skin; hence, The Black Panther Party and Shazza Zulu (aka Freddie …Read more »
Support the CFC! Donate Today!
Thank you to our Generous Supporters!
Join Us on Facebook
RSS Feed
- The Unending Heartbreak of Great Expectations: Why I Can’t Watch The Mindy Project Anymore
- Getting Free & Staying Free
- the light of us: a mother’s day mix
- Corned Beef and Cabbage, Shrimp and Crabs: For Assata Shakur
- Baby Hair: For Gabby, Blue Ivy & Me
- “The Booty Don’t Lie”: Kelly, K. Michelle, & Janelle Monae’ Sing Black Girl Freedom
- Some Thoughts on ‘Accidental Racist’
- TODAY! Grassroots Fundraiser for Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition!
- always arriving: a black scholar’s mixtape
- Atlanta Harm Reduction: Prevention as the First Response
Tweets
- "[D]rag queens can move freely within gay male settings as long as they abide by the implicit rules of..." tmblr.co/Z7BclxlQfIKk 1 hour ago
- Photo: tmblr.co/Z7BclxlQI55i 3 hours ago
- Video: wildseedwellness: SIGNAL BOOST: 5 DAYS LEFT TO RAISE $6000 FOR MASSAGE THERAPY FOR QUEER AND TRANS... tmblr.co/Z7BclxlNUlUX 18 hours ago
- Photo: qwocmediawire: ‘Cause this is so familiar. Multiply by Q, T, and (POC) and yeah… tmblr.co/Z7BclxlMd_UR 21 hours ago
- Photoset: feministwhoniverse: Favourite Feminist Moments in Doctor Who - #1 Martha’s Departure At the end of... tmblr.co/Z7BclxlM3JBF 23 hours ago
Crunk Feminists
 crunktastic |  moyazb |  rboylorn |  crunkadelic |  sheridf |  eeshap |  crunkista |  crunklife |  crunkonia |  ashoncrawley |  crunkashell |  jalylah |  Reninaj |  Chanel |  noir180 |  wpeeps |  Rae One |  fit2bcrunk |
Blog Topics
Artist Links
- Anomolies Crew
- Apani
- Bahamadia
- Corinne Stevie
- Desdamona
- Dessa Darling
- DJ Cha Cha
- DJ Chela
- DJ Jazzy Joyce
- DJ K-Sly
- DJ Kuttin Kandi
- DJ Lynnee Denise
- DJ Shortee
- DJ Suprema
- Erykah Badu
- Eternia
- Fiona Simone
- Foxy Brown
- Goapele
- Hart
- Helixx
- Invincible
- iYana
- Janelle Monáe
- Jean Grae
- Kin4Life
- Krip Hop Nation
- La Bruja
- Lady of Rage
- Lauryn Hill
- Lin Que
- Maria Isa
- Mauikai
- MC Lyte
- Medusa
- Michie Mee
- Missy Elliot
- Miz Korona
- Monie Love
- Mystic
- Neb Luv
- OMG Michelle
- P Star
- Pink Dollaz
- Pri The Honey Dark
- Psalm One
- Rye Rye
- Stacy Epps
- Suheir Hammad
- Sweet Tee
- The Lost Bois
- THEESatisfaction
- Toni Blackman
- Turquoise Jeep Music
- Willow Smith
Blogroll
- All My Children Project
- ArtBehave
- Betta Come Correct
- Black Girl Dangerous
- Black Youth Project
- brokenbeautiful press
- CFC Tumblr
- CripChick
- Davey D's Hip Hop Corner
- Emerging ChangeMakers Network
- fem.men.ist
- Feministing
- INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence
- Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai
- Life Is Not A Fairytale: Black Women and Depression
- My Best Friend Gayle
- National Black Women’s Life Balance and Wellness Conference
- New Model Minority
- NewBlackMan
- Phillis Remastered
- Quirky Black Girls
- Race-Talk
- Racialicious
- Red Vinyl Shoes
- RH Reality Check
- Salon
- Shakesville
- Sister Outsider: A Black Lesbian Feminist Rant
- Stuff Queer People Need to Know
- The Feminist Wire
- The Root
- Where is Your Line?
- Women, Action & the Media
Tag Cloud
activismBETBeyonceBlack feminismblack girlsBlack Womenbody imagecolorismErykah Badufeminismfriendshipgendergender violencegirlshairhip hopLil WaynelovemarriageMixtapemotherhoodNew Model MinorityNicki MinajpocPop CulturequeerraceracismReality TVrelationshipsromantic relationshipsself-loveself careself esteemsexSexual AssualtstereotypesThe Gametoo shortTyler PerryViolenceWhitney Houstonwomen's friendshipWomen of ColorxxlArchives
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010