The Oscar Boycott

[Landlord]

On one hand I understand the sentiment in that link - more fair-skinned black women with closer-to-white features generally end up being considered more beautiful by the public and media (quick, name a DARK skinned woman that you can ever remember being on a list of hottest 25/50/100/whatever). At the same time, though, the degree to which that is a problem probably doesn't warrant the amount of vitriol it's gotten. Social media is ugly.

Is it racist to say that fair-skinned black women are better looking then dark-skinned black women?.... Or is it just by and large, true...

Is it by and large true, or is it by and large an entirely subjective thing that we've all kind of been influenced to think is objective, because 99% of the messages of 'beauty' we are inundated with are of light/fair skin and features.

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

On one hand I understand the sentiment in that link - more fair-skinned black women with closer-to-white features generally end up being considered more beautiful by the public and media (quick, name a DARK skinned woman that you can ever remember being on a list of hottest 25/50/100/whatever). At the same time, though, the degree to which that is a problem probably doesn't warrant the amount of vitriol it's gotten. Social media is ugly.

Is it racist to say that fair-skinned black women are better looking then dark-skinned black women?.... Or is it just by and large, true...

This comment was made tongue-n-cheek. As obvious as it was too me, I guess I could have made it more clear to the rest of you with the use of an emoji, or something.... Come on guys! I'm not that big of a jerk!

 

[NUance]

On one hand I understand the sentiment in that link - more fair-skinned black women with closer-to-white features generally end up being considered more beautiful by the public and media (quick, name a DARK skinned woman that you can ever remember being on a list of hottest 25/50/100/whatever). At the same time, though, the degree to which that is a problem probably doesn't warrant the amount of vitriol it's gotten. Social media is ugly.

Is it racist to say that fair-skinned black women are better looking then dark-skinned black women?.... Or is it just by and large, true...

What the f#*k, man. Yes, it is racist to say that as a fact. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To think your views, which are apparently that dark-skinned black women aren't as attractive, apply to or should apply to everyone is in fact racist.
To say you personally are more attracted to others is not racist.

Racist? I dunno. Maybe. But about the only people I hear discussing light skinned blacks and dark skinned blacks are people of color themselves.

 

[NUance]

Apparently light skinned blacks ("Trail of Blood") are much more brutal than dark skinned blacks ("American Tragedy").

 

[Scratchtown]

Seriously. Now were discussing blacks not being black enough?

 

[Landlord]

Seriously. Now were discussing blacks not being black enough?

Yes. When is the last time you saw a very dark skinned minority woman on a list of "hottest 25/50/100/___"? How many lighter skinned minorities do you see on them? Out of curiosity i googled "most beautiful black women" and the first 5-6 lists contained hardly any really dark skinned women, and most of the women were airbrushed or filtered to the point where if you didn't know who they were, you couldn't even tell that they were black.

Why do you think the disparity exists?

 

[JJ Husker]

I'm not sure I understand the hows or the whys but IMO, damn, Zoe Saldana and Halle Berry are hot. Nina Simone, not so much. I really couldnt care less what some top 50 list is trying to tell me to think. If they don't happen to be black enough for some black people, I guess that's their loss.

 

[The Dude]

Seriously. Now were discussing blacks not being black enough?

Yes. When is the last time you saw a very dark skinned minority woman on a list of "hottest 25/50/100/___"? How many lighter skinned minorities do you see on them? Out of curiosity i googled "most beautiful black women" and the first 5-6 lists contained hardly any really dark skinned women, and most of the women were airbrushed or filtered to the point where if you didn't know who they were, you couldn't even tell that they were black.

Why do you think the disparity exists?

It's perfectly fine feeling like a victim of this.
What's not fine is thinking that feeling like a victim somehow makes you justified in publicly shaming others for having the wrong skin tone.

The PC movement always seems to wonder into this territory, and it's where it always loses its creditability.

 

[NUance]

Seriously. Now were discussing blacks not being black enough?

Yes. When is the last time you saw a very dark skinned minority woman on a list of "hottest 25/50/100/___"? How many lighter skinned minorities do you see on them? Out of curiosity i googled "most beautiful black women" and the first 5-6 lists contained hardly any really dark skinned women, and most of the women were airbrushed or filtered to the point where if you didn't know who they were, you couldn't even tell that they were black.

Why do you think the disparity exists?

I dunno. Victoria's Secret features several black women each year. LINK Some very dark. Others not so much. I'm not sure where they'd fall on lists of the hottest 25/50/100 women. But just walking the VS runway puts them in an elite class of beauty. I think it's more about the curves and features than the skin tone.

But yeah, if you consider all famous beautiful women you're probably right that dark skin black women are under-represented. I just wanted to post this picture.

 

[Scratchtown]

Seriously. Now were discussing blacks not being black enough?

Yes. When is the last time you saw a very dark skinned minority woman on a list of "hottest 25/50/100/___"? How many lighter skinned minorities do you see on them? Out of curiosity i googled "most beautiful black women" and the first 5-6 lists contained hardly any really dark skinned women, and most of the women were airbrushed or filtered to the point where if you didn't know who they were, you couldn't even tell that they were black.

Why do you think the disparity exists?

They are both "Black" so who cares? Why does it matter? The bachelor "women tell all" had a situation arise that was "offensive" to the lighter skinned black girls.

The darker girl said "I'm the real black person" or some crap like that during the filming of the season. The 2 half black/white girls were offended. Did they not have a right to be offended by that comment?

Is there such thing as "REAL BLACK" over a "Half Black"? I seriously don't know. Apparently there is, and I can't/don't understand it at all.

 

[Landlord]

Is there such thing as "REAL BLACK" over a "Half Black"? I seriously don't know. Apparently there is, and I can't/don't understand it at all.

Nothing like that, no. It's just interesting and sad that our society's standards of beauty are essentially white or what is closest to it.

 

[Scratchtown]

Is there such thing as "REAL BLACK" over a "Half Black"? I seriously don't know. Apparently there is, and I can't/don't understand it at all.

Nothing like that, no. It's just interesting and sad that our society's standards of beauty are essentially white or what is closest to it.

Well, as you have stated earlier. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

These magazines, websites, whatever...they are just trying to generate money. They want to generate clicks. They will do and say whatever they need to for views, whether thats true or not.

It's purely subjective and anything subjective shouldn't be taken to heart too much. In my opinion, of course.

 

[Landlord]

Is there such thing as "REAL BLACK" over a "Half Black"? I seriously don't know. Apparently there is, and I can't/don't understand it at all.

Nothing like that, no. It's just interesting and sad that our society's standards of beauty are essentially white or what is closest to it.

Well, as you have stated earlier. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

These magazines, websites, whatever...they are just trying to generate money. They want to generate clicks. They will do and say whatever they need to for views, whether thats true or not.

It's purely subjective and anything subjective shouldn't be taken to heart too much. In my opinion, of course.

It is definitely subjective, but it comes at the expense of lack of representation of people that don't fit what we as a whole deem to be ideal. Whether that's skin color, weight, personality (dorky passive dudes or strong, aggressive women), sexual orientation, etc., it's important that people be represented fairly, accurately, and proportionately, because when they're not that leads to ignorance of people that are different from you, imo.

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

Is there such thing as "REAL BLACK" over a "Half Black"? I seriously don't know. Apparently there is, and I can't/don't understand it at all.

Nothing like that, no. It's just interesting and sad that our society's standards of beauty are essentially white or what is closest to it.

Well, as you have stated earlier. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

These magazines, websites, whatever...they are just trying to generate money. They want to generate clicks. They will do and say whatever they need to for views, whether thats true or not.

It's purely subjective and anything subjective shouldn't be taken to heart too much. In my opinion, of course.

It is definitely subjective, but it comes at the expense of lack of representation of people that don't fit what we as a whole deem to be ideal. Whether that's skin color, weight, personality (dorky passive dudes or strong, aggressive women), sexual orientation, etc., it's important that people be represented fairly, accurately, and proportionately, because when they're not that leads to ignorance of people that are different from you, imo.

But what good does pandering to every misrepresentation do? It just seems to me that taking issue with misrepresentations of yourself, or any other person througout various broad spectrums is a waste of time, and energy that could be devoted elsewhere. I mean, why dwell on such things? I'm 6'3 240 (your prototypical "dad bod"), one day I'm wearing Raybans, out on the town, looking dapper with my lady. The next I'm in cowboy boots working cattle. I couldn't care any less how that's represented, or if the masses find me "ideal". I think I'm cool as f#*k, and that's all that matters really.

 

[Landlord]

I mean, why dwell on such things? I'm 6'3 240 (your prototypical "dad bod"), one day I'm wearing Raybans, out on the town, looking dapper with my lady. The next I'm in cowboy boots working cattle. I couldn't care any less how that's represented, or if the masses find me "ideal". I think I'm cool as f#*k, and that's all that matters really.

Have you ever received death threats because of the color of your skin? Or been disowned by your parents because of your sexual orientation? Shunned in public because you don't fit into a gender binary?

You and I have it easy and we don't really care, because we're already well represented, and we're "default". What I mean by that is if someone is casting "an average adult male", more or less, that will look like you and I. Everyone should think they're cool as f#*k, and you can afford to because there aren't really any nasty responses to that, but that's a fight for people that are different than the norms. We have to keep in mind that there are people going through really, really nasty sh#t and struggling to live their lives with any kind of peace or joy because of who they are.