The Biracial Aesthetic: Colorism and Hollywood.

[Will Ross]

It is when the colorism happening in Hollywood is specifically that where the aesthetics of biracial women is what’s being desired in roles, what makes them more appealing to “all” audiences. I just gave you a list of 10+ biracial under 40 actresses getting top tier roles, can you give me a list of 5 under 40 light skin “full black” actresses being cast heavily right now?

I’ll wait...

Its not really colorism its more the fact that they can sell a biracial person too more people.
Take yara that is biracial and destiny that is black. If they was both going for a role complexion would not be the factor. It would be the fact that you can sell yara to more people because she is biracial

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Its not really colorism its more the fact that they can sell a biracial person too more people.
Take yara that is biracial and destiny that is black. If they was both going for a role complexion would not be the factor. It would be the fact that you can sell yara to more people because she is biracial

You just basically said what my other post did. Stop lumping black light skin women in with biracial as we don’t have the same platform.

 

[Gold]

It’s no difference between some that is biracial and someone that is lightskin if we are talking about Colorism.

That's the point, its not simply about the color of their skin. its about the fact that they are biracial, which is not hte same as being 100% black, i dont care what the coli thinks.
When Dak Prescott talks about how being half-white helps him relate to the white brehs in the lockerroom, he's not speaking as a light-skin black man, he's speaking as a half-white biracial.


Biracial is more than skin tone, its the fact that white people are simply more accepting of a person who is 50% white.

Sage Steele and Halle Berry are Biracial and I have cousins lighter than them. Sometimes its bigger than colorism

 

[Will Ross]

You just basically said what my other post did. Stop lumping black light skin women in with biracial as we don’t have the same platform.

If we are talking about colorism what is the real difference.

 

[ddAriana]

If we are talking about colorism what is the real difference.

Biracial people are very different than light skinned black people even if you think they look alike.
1) White acceptance: A biracial person can be accepted by white people because he/she is half white. Some biracials even do things to look more white passing. In Hollywood they get more of a boost for being more marketable or they get more connects because white people feel more comfortable around them. Cardi is way more accepted as a Latina/other/not black woman than Nicki was.. look how easy she is getting awards.
2) Some biracials are racist: I'm light skinned and I've seen half white half black people say racist ignorant things to me even though they just look like light skin black people themselves. There is something about being biracial and this proximity to white privilege that can really mess with the identity of some biracials especially if they have parents that are colorist or parents that try to instill a racist superiority complex in them.
So when you lump black people with two black parents with biracials that's really insulting and offensive.

 

[Dwayne_Taylor]

Biracial people are very different than light skinned black people even if you think they look alike.

Good luck getting coli c00ns to admit to this

 

[African Peasant]

Biracials and lightskin black only look alike when it comes to color tho...

If we are talking about colorism what is the real difference.

Did Minaj look like this before the surgeries and the bleaching?

 

[Will Ross]

Biracial people are very different than light skinned black people even if you think they look alike.
1) White acceptance: A biracial person can be accepted by white people because he/she is half white. Some biracials even do things to look more white passing. In Hollywood they get more of a boost for being more marketable or they get more connects because white people feel more comfortable around them. Cardi is way more accepted as a Latina/other/not black woman than Nicki was.. look how easy she is getting awards.
2) Some biracials are racist: I'm light skinned and I've seen half white half black people say racist ignorant things to me even though they just look like light skin black people themselves. There is something about being biracial and this proximity to white privilege that can really mess with the identity of some biracials especially if they have parents that are colorist or parents that try to instill a racist superiority complex in them.
So when you lump black people with two black parents with biracials that's really insulting and offensive.

If we are talking about colorism what is the difference? If you are in a store how does the random person know you are full black and not biracial?

 

[DrBanneker]

Man, the whole crop of new, ie under 40, “black” actresses being cast in A list/blockbuster films are biracial

Tessa Thompson
Zoe kravitz
Zoe Saldana (well not biracial, but a Afro Latina meant to repsrent Black women in many of her roles)
Zendaya
Yara Shahidi
Amandla Sternberg

Even a few who aren’t a list just yet but getting roles:
Alexandra Shipp
Kiersey Clemons
Gugu Mbatha Raw
Logan browning
Laura harrier
Amber Stevens
Zazie Beetz
Nathalie Emmanuel


Who is the under 40 “regular black” light/med/dark skin actresses (because I have NO problem with two black parent light skin folks - ie me) other than lupita, and I guess Janelle Monae since she’s transitioning to acting, and maybe the chick from she’s gotta have it, who are getting first run roles? Edit: forgot Issa Rae

A few years ago I would have argued this point but it is getting to be pretty overwhelming. Back in the day there were always Halle Berry, Salli Richadson, etc. but they shared the stage with Angela Bassett, Nia Long, Lela Rochon. It is really beginning to be a trend and between this and Brit actresses AA Black women are getting squeezed hard for roles.

Granted the biracial population is larger now than 20 years ago but not so disproportionately as the roles would make it appear.

@dora_da_destroyer totally. And you see the impact that this has on black kids particularly black girls.

It’s not just hollywood, it’s advertising...also a lot of media agencies are based in LA, many black Women have mention how California is very antiblack when it comes to black women particularly.

When you look back in the 90s New York which has a lot of Afrocentric and multiethnic blacks dominated the music/entertainment scene which reflected on black women and girls representation. It was not perfect but it wasn’t as insidious as it is now. Now that Cali which is very pro light skinned/mixed race/Hispanic environment for women you see this trickle down to advertising/ Just about everywhere in media.

It’s not surprising that many entertainers who settle in Cali/LA scene end up if not already unapologetic colorists. Black entertainment became trash when BW became fazed out for mixed Hispanics and biracials and became the playground of only dark skinned men. A lot of black entertainment became soulless due to the separation of the sexes.

What I find the most disgusting is even black people tokenizing brown skinned women like there can only be one at a time and nitpicking black girls for everything (this site is a huge culprit). Everytime someone wants to mention a pretty black girl that isn’t biracial it’s Kelly Rowland or Brya Myles or actresses that are nearly in their 50s.

Yet when I check out Instagram...or any media platform that focuses on black women....pretty brown skinned BW are the majority.

We are partially a victim of our success I think. When hip hop was struggling for recognition or Black directors/movies were relegated to labors of love with small budgets, people were more about putting the community message first and addressing the core audience (Black people). Mass appeal came second since the money wasn't there yet. Remember now more non-Blacks consume hip hop than we do so it isn't entirely shocking the Black women became ambiguous and then 'ethnic'. The problem is how Black people internalize and respond to the conditioning.

Aja Naomi King is carrying on the struggle though

You've been here since 2012, you should know by know that the word "biracial" doesn't exist in TheColi lexicon.
They have 0 concept of it.

You are either light skin black or dark skin black.

I've had long arguments with posters telling me that there is no difference between growing up with 50% of your extended family white vs 100% of your extended family black.


I've given up arguing with TheColi. Biracials do not exist

I've been on the other side of these arguments and in fairness, I have never argued that biracials are the "same", I just argued we shouldn't automatically kick them into the "you can't be Black" corner even if they are conscious and want to identify with us.If they want to call themselves Black, I am fine but I will tolerate no We aren't as bad as Brazil or the UK in that regard, yet...

 

[DrBanneker]

It’s gonna keep happening. Black men love their mixed women. They get to have the exotic chick they lust after while escaping criticism because she’s “black” too. It’s weird as fukk always having the girlfriends, wives and daughters in movies always be lightskin.

In the dating game I can accept this as true for a lot of people but I'm not sure if affects media. They aren't casting these chicks because this is what Black men want. Black men aren't going to not go to a movie if the chick ain't light skinned. This is who they are trying to define as the face of Black beauty. I actually don't have a problem with all Black women coal to creme being held on a pedestal, biracials included, but the current trend is pushing back years of progress from back when only damn near white chicks were in those Ebony/Jet advertisements.

 

[ddAriana]

If we are talking about colorism what is the difference? If you are in a store how does the random person know you are full black and not biracial?

No one ever thinks light skin black people are biracial. White people treat them like other black people.

Good luck getting coli c00ns to admit to this

That's tragic.

 

[Roland Coltrane]

I got like 5 or 6 streaming services and this shyt is as bad as it's ever been

it's annoying af man. I got no beef with light skin or biracial people, but the biracials especially are vastly overrepresented in media. Part of it may be from these companies wanting to 'cover all the bases' and the rest is straight up colorism, or more likely it's both at once.

 

[Rekkapryde]

I hate the dark skin ant viv argument when she married to a white man and the lightskin one is married black.

what her personal life gotta do with this

 

[Rekkapryde]

Part of it may be from these companies wanting to 'cover all the bases' and the rest is straight up colorism, or more likely it's both at once.

It's 100% this

 

[Roland Coltrane]

She's not mixed at all ,she was raised to believe she was mixed.

Who we talking about here? I can't see