Light Girls (Am I Watching This?)

 Reading Night, Monday will be canceled this upcoming week. I am watching the Light Girls Documentary. Not just because I am light-skinned. I am also watching because all aspects of Colorism (a form of prejudice or discrimination in which human beings are treated differently based on the social meanings attached to skin color) or Massa still ruling us need to be talked about. I watched Dark Girls and that was powerful. I feel like Light Girls will be just as profound for me. 

What is Light Girls?

Distinguished filmmaker Bill Duke produced the documentary film, DARK GIRLS, which premiered on The Oprah Winfrey Network last year and the show sparked a much-needed international conversation on colorism, self-esteem, and healing. The movement continues with the sequel, LIGHT GIRLS.

LIGHT GIRLS is an in-depth study of the advantages and disadvantages of being a light-skinned woman. Does light skin make for an easier life? LIGHT GIRLS explores skin color from historical, sociological, psychological, and scientific perspectives. This documentary is a global analysis of skin color addressing the following contemporary issues: bullying, skin bleaching, and this popular #teamlightskin versus #teamdarkskin rivalry on social media.

This is not just a conversation, but a movement that requires action, accountability, and responsibility. LIGHT GIRLS emphasizes the importance of healing and taking action. Please, don't just join the discussion, but join the movement!

I am hoping this documentary educates the origins & dispels stereotypes about those of us of lighter hues. Like "Light Skin Privilege", I am not saying it doesn't exist. I will say it is not as widespread & automatic as people think. 

Have you ever heard of "Not Black Enough"? Go to all the makeup counters (drugstore to high-end) and guess who has to mix and match foundations to get their color right in some brands. Also, the most popular Light Skin black people are stuck up and mean to Dark Skin black people. So, there are no pompous Dark Skinned black folks. Ha!

My life is full of colorism. The funny part is as prominent as it was, I was slow to the conversation. In my home light skin & dark skin were never said around me until I was 8. I first heard that term on the playground when I was called light-skin (and thought I was better than). One reason is my family. Like most black families, our skin tones are vast. I call my family a Black American Rainbow.

These are my cousins on my grandmother's side of the family. We call ourselves the 4th generation (there are in-laws, one 5th generation person & family friends on here). All our grandmothers & grandfathers are siblings. That is just one set of my relatives and not even all of them. So, it floored me when one of my relatives started dating a guy who had a skin tone that one of my older relatives disapproved of and voiced their horrible feelings. The blinders were off and could not be put back on. I decided that day to be on "wish creed" with that person & their opinion on who I decided to date's skin tone. Also, I was bullied because of my skin tone. I told y'all in another BLOG about my experiences with this person. This person is dark-skinned and had issues with my light skin. I didn't recognize their problem (Heck, I was also fat, nerdy, and had a big bust) until my niece was born when I was an older teenager. Everyone was doting on her and that person said "But she's bright". The lightbulb came on and I got it. Hey, Hurt people hurt people. Even now people still say horrible things about me being light skin. I only have one light-skinned friend. Why do I know this? People that are not my friends have pointed this out. Oh, and I have been accused of hanging with mostly dark skin people to be the cute one in the group. Yes, I have gone off and cussed those people out. That lie will not be in the atmosphere. Out of my eleven best & close friends, only one is light-skinned. So the heck what? I hang out with all kinds of people. That is known and seen

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 But these are the only images some folks think I only live. I hang out with people whose personalities & lives mesh with mine well. Of course, the people who have pointed out that I only have one light-skinned friend don't have personalities that harmonize with mine. Never will I ever perpetuate the myth light skinned people don't get along with one another.

I just hope these documentaries help heal our society. By our society I mean not just African American or American but Human Beings.

Hope you watch it also. I will Live Tweet during the documentary-like I did DarkGirls. So if you want to join the discussion, I'll be there. Oh the song, is one of my favorites. No matter the skin tone, she ain't giving up no booty. LoL

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms.