Colorism Is Alive and Kicking in TV Commercials, Ads

Colorism isn’t new. But the word for this concept is: colorism.

It refers to the selection of light-skinned blacks, particularly young females, for leading roles in film, TV commercials and modeling jobs. I’ve seen it in TV commercials for years and years.

One time my parents and I were watching a movie, and the scene shifted to a black couple in bed, with the viewer looking from above them.

Right away, I noticed that the man was dark, but the woman was medium. His skin was kind of like milk chocolate, while hers was what you’d get if you blended caramel with butterscotch. It’s the first thing I noticed.

Then my father began, “You know…”

I immediately knew what was about to come out of his mouth: a comment about the color disparity, even though all he’d said thus far was “You know.”

I’d never before heard him comment on colorism, but for some reason, I just sensed it was now coming. I said nothing and waited.

He continued, “…every time there’s a scene with a black couple, the man is always darker than the woman.”

I replied, “I was thinking the same thing. I see it all the time, including in commercials.”

Examples of Colorism: See for Yourself

Below are images I took off of my TV of commercials. They speak for themselves.

 

 

When colorism is employed, the term used for the female is “racially ambiguous” or of “mixed race.” The viewer is tempted to think, “What is she?”

The model or actress may be alone in the ad. But when she’s with a man who’s portraying her husband, he’s darker almost 100% of the time; sometimes a lot darker.

He looks “blacker,” while she appears ambiguous or mixed, e.g., of part African descent and European or Hispanic descent. Or maybe she’s part Polynesian and Native American, but her coiled hair makes her appear to have some African heritage.

When casting agents seek women and girls to fill roles, I doubt they request an ethnic breakdown.

Rather, they hire them based on facial beauty and looking “black enough” to pass as African in heritage to fill the role of a black woman in an advertisement — but still light enough to be considered only a little bit diverse.

This can be put another way: The light-skinned female looks “black enough” to meet the social demands for more diversity, but as long as she looks like she “has some white in her,” she doesn’t veer too far off the main course.

Colorism is seen extensively in movies and TV shows, though there are exceptions.

For example, actress Viola Davis is dark. Jayden Rey, who played DJ’s daughter on “The Connors,” is dark.

When the “Cosby Show” came out, I immediately noticed what I considered to be a miscasting: that of Lisa Bonet. 

Her skin was almost milky, while her TV brother Malcom-Jamal Warner was dark — both characters being the offspring of a dark man and a medium woman.

Amazingly, the actress who played young Rudy, Keshia Knight Pulliam, didn’t fit the bill for colorism.

TV Commercials: Black Boy and Girl Siblings

Throughout the years I’ve noticed that in TV commercials and print ads involving boy/girl siblings of color, the boy almost always (not always, but usually) has traditional African features through-and-through, but his fictitious sibling looks biracial, with much lighter skin.

The parents will consist of a man with skin matching the boy’s, and a woman who appears biracial and is usually a little darker than the girl.

In other words, why is the little girl so light? Where are all the dark, let alone very dark, little girl actresses for TV commercials — as well as print ads?

When Darker Black Women Are Used

In stock image galleries, colorism is evident when the scene involves a black couple depicting husband and wife (or boyfriend and girlfriend).

However, what’s really interesting is that when the female model is dark — the male model is darker!

 

Almost always, when the man is the lighter of the two, he’s white.

It’s very uncommon to find an image of one black couple (nobody else with them) in which the woman is the darker of the two.

But if you look hard enough, you’ll find them. But they are the exception.

Yes, photo galleries do carry images of dark black women, but for the most part, they are by themselves or in a group.

They are rarely seen as the only individual with a black but lighter-skinned man.

If you type into the search box, “black man with daughter,” on the Getty Images site, you’ll get some very interesting results.

One might say that the models are real-life fathers with their daughters. They may also be unrelated models.

But two questions will pop out: Where are the medium-toned men and their dark daughters?

Where are the light-skinned or biracial-looking men with their medium-skinned daughters?

I’m not saying anything’s wrong or anything’s right. I’m simply presenting an observation and analysis about something that’s been going on for decades. 

It makes one wonder if the reason the black man is usually darker is because it’s the casting agent’s subconscious attempt to show that men are in charge — or are the superior in the depiction of a relationship.

Before you label this theory as completely wet, you’ll want to take note that when a couple is both Caucasian, the man is almost always darker — as though he has a tan and she’s spent too much time indoors!

You’ll also note that in almost every movie, dramatic TV series, sitcom or print ad depicting a married or dating heterosexual couple (regardless of race), the man is visibly older by five to 20 years (especially in film prior to 1980).

But what does age have to do with skin color?

The color black is associated with authority: a judge’s robe, a nun’s outfit, a priest’s outfit, a cop’s uniform, a Ninja’s uniform, etc.

If you want to evoke authority, you’re told to wear dark colors, such as attorneys presenting their case in court.

World leaders at major meetings wear black, dark blue or dark grey suits.

Darth Vader wore black. Somehow, it wouldn’t have worked if his robe had been pale blue, medium green, red, beige or white. And you know it.

This association has made its way to skin tone. Men are considered the dominant sex.

This is why it’s been said that we live in a patriarchal society rather than a matriarchal. 

To hold true to this, casting agents make sure that usually (not always) the male lead looks older than the female lead.

If he’s the darker of the couple (whether both are white, Hispanic, Asian, ambiguous or black), this fits in with the “in charge” look, since darkness is associated with authority.

However, the reason for this selection process is probably subconscious.

Ask a casting agent why the woman is almost always the lighter of a couple, and they’ll probably shrug their shoulders, or they’ll say, “Well, it’s a coincidence she’s lighter. I chose her for other reasons.”

It’s not that dark-skinned females don’t get hired. It’s just that whoever’s hiring the couple will usually make sure the man is darker, relatively speaking.

So in same-race couples, if the man is light, she’s lighter. If the woman is dark, he’s even darker.

A medium-skinned black man will almost always be paired with a clearly biracial, light-skinned woman.

Men tend to have darker skin than women, regardless of race, but ALL races have lighter men and darker women within those races.

This article originally appeared on the medium.com site by the same author.

Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer. She has a formal diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Top image: Freepik/wayhomestudio