African American Adolescent Girls’ Beliefs About Skin Tone and Colorism

Abstract

Colorism is a pervasive system of inequality shown to negatively affect psychosocial and economic outcomes among African American adults. Among African American women and girls in particular, the social and psychological implications of colorist practices can be severe. The present study aimed to better understand African American girls’ understanding of this phenomenon during adolescence. Using a phenomenological approach, interviews and focus groups were conducted with African American girls ( N = 30) in order to determine which colorist messages are perceived and potentially internalized as communal beliefs. Iterative coding and subsequent thematic analysis revealed three primary themes and four subthemes: (a) Skin tone and attractiveness (Subthemes: Light skin as beautiful; Dark skin as unattractive), (b) Skin tone and social standing and education level (Subthemes: Dark skin as lower class; Light skin as higher class), and (c) Skin tone and personality/behavioral traits. Findings revealed that African American girls reported contemporary colorism biases similar to those found among African American women, suggesting temporal and generational continuity.