The Relationship of Self Esteem of Skin Color in African American Culture Essay Example for Free

The Relationship of Self take to be of Skin change in African the Statesn last EssayThe Relationship of Self Esteem and Skin Color 2 This paper explores the relationship amongst pelt regulate preference and the effect it has on self esteem in the African American conjunction. As azoic as striverry in America there has been an assumed preference to luminosity or more fair come upned African Americans. Many in the culture seem to deal that lighter skin represents beauty and equates to greater earning potential and increased opportunity.Articles by McAdoo, 1998 Ross, 1997 Russell, Wilson and Hall 1992, discuss how skin tone is used to differentiate and apply social values and self worth for African Americans. This horizon led to self hate for some in the community and an increase in the use of skin whitening products in an effort to become more socially accepted and increase attractiveness to the pivotal sex. Whitening appeared to be a boost to self esteem on the outsi de, alone it really lonesome(prenominal) created a false sense of confidence and acceptance. Since slavery, skin color has been used as a agency of separation among those in the black community.The darker skinned slaves were usually resigned to work out in the sun in the fields while the lighter skinned slaves, who were generally the offspring of the master and a female slave were usually allowed to perform work inside the house. This led to anger by the darker field worker that unagitated lingers on to this day. Growing up as a young boy the difference of skin tone never really seemed to be an issue but when I reached adolescence and started attending junior high nurture I experienced this ugliness for the first time.I was growing up in the eighties when closely of the most successful blacks seen on television were lighter skinned. I particularly remember the family group Debarge as the teen heartthrobs of black teens at that time. They were all light skinned, with what we Th e Relationship of Self Esteem and Skin Color 3 called good hair due to their mixed heritage. If a kid did not fit that amount he was not considered to be one of the it guys and your chances of dating were exponentially decreased. I and many began to see early that it was assumed that lighter skin meant better and received more privilege.I, at times, had feelings of self hate because I felt I was not good enough. I soon began to see members of my family using skin lighten cream to brighten their skin even by the ones who were not really dark at all. This leads me to the alternative of the United States first African American president. This was a joyous occasion in the African American community as many thought they would never see this happen in their lifetimes. Although, this was a diachronic moment some people questioned if President Obama would have been elected if he looked more black and little Eurocentric.Was it his clean cut look and light skin that made him seem less thr eatening to mainstream America? This sentiment was echoed by Senator Harry Reid in the Book Game Change Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a spirit (Heilemann and Halperin, 2010), He (Reid) was wowed by Obamas oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama- a light skinned African American with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one .Senator Reid would go on to apologize for his insensitive remarks but the those words were proof positive that this fiber of stereotyping not only existed in the African American community but was alive and well in the conscience of main stream America as well.The thought of skin tone separation seems antiquated to most, but from time to time we get occasionally reminders that we shut up have a ways to go to rid ourselves of the self hatred of The Relationship of Self Esteem and Skin Color 4 past generations. The words of those like Senato r Reid will soon be bury by the general public, but for those in the African American community who have experienced this type of bias will never forget.