Silent Symptoms E25: Projecting Colorism Onto Children

Silent Symptoms: Black Mental Health Podcast

On this episode, I discuss colorism again because of a YouTube clip that went viral on Facebook. A popular YouTube couple shared the birth of their daughter but the main focus was how "dark she is going to be" and the disappointment of not having "pretty eyes" by mother and father. Often times, parents project colorism on their children which sets the standard of how their children will perceive themselves as adults. Although the couple reports they aren't colorist, evidence says otherwise. "If a child is born with dark skin and learns that dark skin is not valued by her peers, community, or society, she may develop feelings of shame. This is especially true if the child is unaware of colorism’s historical roots and lacks friends and family members who shun skin color bias. Without an understanding of racism and classism, it’s difficult for a child to understand that no one’s skin color is innately good or bad." Nittle, Nadra Kareem. (2019, March 3). Why the Effects of Colorism Are So Damaging. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/SilentSymptomsPodcast/support