What’s Color Got To Do With It? Skin Color, Skin Color Satisfaction, Racial Identity, and Internalized Racism Among African American College Students

Abstract

Although skins tone perceptions influence the African American community, less is known about how skin color satisfaction differs across complexion. Employing an intersectionality framework, the current study assessed (a) the relationships between gender, self-reported skin color, skin color satisfaction, and the private regard aspect of racial identity; (b) whether skin color satisfaction moderates the relationship between perceived skin color and racial identity; and (c) whether internalized racism relates to skin color satisfaction. African American college students (N= 191) provided their perceived skin color and completed the private regard subscale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, the Nadanolitization Scale, and an abbreviated version of the Skin Color Satisfaction Scale. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to test most hypotheses. Although skin color was not significantly associated with skin color satisfaction, skin color satisfaction moderated the relationship between perceived skin color and

Politics of Respectability, Colorism, and the Terms of Social Exchange in Family Research

“…This stems from a tradition of Eurocentric features and whiteness being deemed the standard for beauty (Hunter, , ; Wade & Bielitz, ). Empirical studies and autobiographical accounts support the notion that individuals within and across racial and ethnic groups generally perceive lighter skin as more attractive than darker skin (Bond & Cash, ; Hunter, , ; Maxwell, Brevard, Abrams, & Belgrave, ). It is important to reiterate, however, that although we focus on African Americans, men and women across the world, including in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, face notable challenges around colorism (Glenn, 2008).…”

Skin-Tone Trauma: Historical and Contemporary Influences on the Health and Interpersonal Outcomes of African Americans

“…Although it is understood that skin tone creates advantages and privileges, often in favor of lighter skinned individuals, it is also worth noting that perceptions of skin tone are relative in that they are based on one’s subjective experiences with race and skin tone. For example, the consequences of skin-tone bias have been shown to depend on racial identity and skin-tone satisfaction (Coard et al, 2001; Landor & Zeiders, 2019; Maxwell, Brevard, Abrams, & Belgrave, 2015). For example, Maxwell et al (2015) found that darker skinned individuals with high skin-tone satisfaction reported more positive racial-identity beliefs than both lighter and darker skinned participants low in skin-tone satisfaction.…”

Understanding the use of “twinkie,” “banana,” and “FOB”: Identifying the origin, role, and consequences of internalized racism within Asian America

“…Scholars who have examined larger systems of oppression have argued that internalized oppression is an "inevitable" condition of oppressive structures (Pyke, 2010, p. 553;Schwalbe et al, 2000). Previous studies have explored internalized racism through various topics, ranging from colorism (privileging of lighter skin tones) and its association with social, racial, and symbolic capital (Glenn, 2008;Hill, 2002;Hunter, 2002;Maxwell, Brevard, Abrams, & Belgrave, 2015), to topics of internalized racism and educational achievement (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986;Kohli, 2014). For example, in addressing colorism, Glenn's (2008) work pointed to the role of economic forces (i.e., multinational companies and their global marketing) in contributing to the expansive global skin bleaching market in the global south.…”