Confronting Colorism and Healing from the Damage Caused by it

I lived in different cities across India as I was growing up. While I am originally from the South of the country, where darker skin is more common. However, I spent most of my childhood in the Northern part of India, where lighter-skin individuals are more prevalent. As a darker-skinned girl, I often felt out of place among my lighter-skinned peers. Even though I was friends with them, I had this niggling feeling that I did not belong. I had an inkling that I was often treated differently than most of my peers but was not at a position to comprehend it as a young girl.

It was years later, when I was working as a Research Assistant in a social justice research organization, that I understood how our society is divided on a basis of color as much as it is by race. I slowly began processing how color had shaped my own experiences. I reached out to a darker-skinned school friend, who I thought would have undergone similar struggles as I did. Our conversation and sharing of our experiences allowed me to articulate what had happened. We had experienced colorism. Colorism is the prejudice or discrimination against darker-skin individuals within racial or ethnic groups. As the realization dawned upon me, I was inundated with memories of the times when I had been teased or mocked by my friends and classmates based on my skin color. It especially pained me to think about the occasions when some of my teachers had treated me unfavorably and prejudicially. While these encounters had been consistent, they had never escalated to an extent where I could have acknowledged them sooner and spoken about it. At the time they had seemed innocuous. Yet, it had chipped away my self-esteem and self-worth bit by bit.

This is not to say that I escaped colorism when I was in the South of India, where I was around a lot more people who have similar or darker skin than me. I did not find a more inclusive space there either. I could see that despite being darker skinned, many people were fixated on lighter skin. The expectation was that one should do everything possible to lighten their skin. I have seen many people pour over blog posts and YouTube videos to find home remedies for lightening their skin. Chemical treatments and cosmetic procedures to attain lighter skin are also advertised widely. Media has played a significant role in portraying lighter skin to be superior and desirable, while shunning those with darker skin. The obsession with lighter skin and disdain towards darker skin is so deeply internalized by members of society that it is often near impossible to acknowledge one’s participation in the perpetuation of colorism. It took me years to realize how damaging these experiences with colorism had been and how I could have been complicit. I have been fortunate that I have the education and resources to separate facts from stereotypes. However, many people don’t have the same kind of vocabulary or the resources. It is extremely crucial that we unlearn the deeply embedded stereotypes that we have internalized over time. It is crucial to realize that colorism is prejudicial and discriminatory. It takes immense work to un-do the damage that is done by colorism and heal.

Strategies to Confront and Heal from Colorism:

While eliminating colorism in its entirety might be near impossible, every step taken to confront colorism will make a world of difference. However, this work is incomplete without healing from the damage caused by it. Equipping yourself with the tools to heal from and defy colorism is crucial. Here are some strategies that have worked for me and could potentially help you.

1. Acknowledge your privilege: whether you are lighter-skinned or darker-skinned, it is important that you acknowledge that there is some privilege attached to your identity. We unwittingly contribute towards the perpetuation of colorism at times. Taking active steps to acknowledge our part is necessary.

2. Talk about color: talking about our experiences with color can be liberating. While it is not easy to have this conversation with everyone, finding people and support groups to confide in can be very helpful. It does not have to be educative or informative. Just processing our feelings and emotions while discussing color with others can be freeing.

3. Seek professional help: sometimes it is necessary to seek professional help to heal from the damage that colorism has done. Seeking the professional help of psychotherapists and mental healthcare professionals who are better equipped with the tools to work through trauma and complex emotions can be very helpful. There is no shame in prioritizing mental health and working with professionals.

4. Validate the experiences of others: it is important that you validate what others have experienced. If someone has taken the step to open-up, refrain from belittling their experiences or explaining what could have happened. Trust that they know their experiences the best. Be a good listener without any judgment and extend your shoulder for them to lean on.

5. Direct others towards help: sometimes it can be difficult to give support to others for a myriad of reasons, including one’s own trauma, lack of emotional capacity, unprocessed feelings, or any other reason. It is okay to step back from providing support if you are not feeling up to it. Direct them towards someone else who is better equipped or has the capacity. There might also be circumstances where the emotions involved are so complex that you might not have the tools to extend support. In such times, nudge them to seek professional mental healthcare. However, do not force anyone to take action or speak up if they are unwilling. Each person processes their feelings differently and reaches out when they feel ready.

Note: my account of colorism does not by any means cover the range of experiences that people have. This is what I have experienced and how I processed it. It can vary significantly for people. However, it is imperative to acknowledge that colorism is rampant across parts of the world. Even though the experiences might be different, it can still be very damaging and harmful.

The “Did You Know?” section is brought to you by the CILP Program Assistants team covering various topics on social justice issues. This week’s author is Srianusha Thotakura.