Be in love with your black skin

Blonde, skinny, fair. Is this the standard of beauty that is aspired to here in South Africa 22 years into democracy?

It would seem that colourism –the prejudice or discrimination of an individual based on the colour of their skin is alive and well here – and commentators blame white supremacy and the media for its continued existence.

Walls of white dolls in toy shops, light-skinned models gracing the front pages of women’s magazines, the image of light is nice is everywhere.

It’s because of the deep-seated influence of a white supremacist past, some say.

Digital strategist Owethu Makhathini calls it “the insidiousness of whiteness”.

And the worst part is that black people collude with this.

“We do the work of whiteness on their behalf,” she says. “A white person does not even have to be in the room for someone to say somebody looks pretty just because they are light skinned.”

Who could believe that pigment or the level of melanin can affirm your status or privilege in society?

Owethu Makhathini only noticed the colour of her skin once it was pointed out to her by her family.

“I realised I was light skinned from a young age from the way that I was treated differently to my sister who is dark skinned, so that set me apart,” Makhathini says.

Colourism has existed for hundreds of years. However, the phenomenon in modern society has created a tragic divide between the light-skinned and the dark-skinned individuals within the ethnic communities, black, Indian and coloured, especially among women. This divide becomes more pervasive as the ignorant ideas perpetuated by colourism continue to permeate throughout our society, sometimes it’s perpetuated by our own.

The phenomenon is supported by a multibillion-dollar skin lightening industry, which few, it seems will speak out against.

Dermatologist Dr Pholile Mpofu is concerned. She says skin lightening is appropriate under some medical conditions.

However, it cannot be justified when a patient wants to explore skin lightening merely for preference because the products used to lighten the skin are extremely dangerous. “Patients who require skin lightening due to medical conditions I can help. However, patients who want to do it out of preference I do not entertain,” she told ANN7, TNA’s sister TV news channel.

Legendary Kwaito star Mshoza says she has been unfairly misrepresented as the face of skin lightening in the media.

Mshoza blames the media.

“If you want to diss skin lightening creams you need to start with the problem which is the media,” she says. “The media have all the power so if they can stop pushing this yellowbone thing then people will stop buying the creams.” Yellowbone is the name given to light-skinned black women.

But are we perhaps over politicising skin lightening?

Owner of the Yellow Factory Beverly Mobita seems to think so.

“I think when it comes to the black body eople always want to feel a sense of control over it,” she says.

“I have never had anybody walk into my office and say they want to look white, the goal is this illusive golden glow.”

She sees skin lightening your skin the same as putting a weave in your hair or contacts in your eyes. “It’s a personal preference and it is associated with whatever your idea of beauty is.” The outspoken owner of the Yellow Factory believes that whiteness being perceived as the quintessential portrait of beauty is a flawed concept and skin lightening has nothing to do with that.

Mobita, who is a researcher, discovered a gap in the market where people needed safe methods of skin lightening for women who wanted to achieve that elusive golden complexion and she started a product line to cater for that.

Representation is a great healing tool for resolving issues of colourism and discrimination and there is a great lack of this in South Africa.

It is almost a miracle for a young black girl to walk into a store and find a doll that looks like her. Or for a young teen to open up a magazine and find a black girl she could look up to.

However, Molemo Kgomo has identified this gap in the market for young black girls and thus decided to create the Ntombenhle dolls.

“I created the dolls because I felt there was a need,” the mother of two says. “I couldn’t find a doll at the time that I liked, a doll that I wanted my child to play with, a doll that I felt she could look at and identify herself with.”

Creative founder of Mzansi Moodboard Palesa Kgasane created the Word to the Womyn series that was an ode to women of colour.

“I really just wanted to create a series where I knew that little black girls could look at this and be like wow, I wish I saw this in the magazines that I read,” Kgasane says.

“There isn’t representation and I think it is important as black women to band together and do great things especially in the creative arena.” There is still a lot of work that needs to be done for people to reject colourism and its damaging ideas.

At the core of healing is unlearning mental oppression on the black women and men and positive representation for the black community that promotes pride and promotes a multitude of ideas relating to beauty not reliant on skin tone.

We can fight the dangerous logic carried with colourism through better representation in art, literature, film and pop culture to better understand and teach that we are beautiful because of our blackness, not in spite of it.

Love and be proud of your blackness.

Canny Maphanga is a writer, commentator and journalist