When Will Dark Skin Be Fully Accepted?
This piece was originally written in 2014. I’ve revisited and refined it in 2026, keeping the heart of what I felt then, while adding the understanding I have now.
In 2014, I wrote a blog asking one simple question:
When will having a darker Black complexion be fully accepted, just as much as being light-brown?
Twelve years later, I’m revisiting that question.
Back then, I was observing something I couldn’t quite name yet. Now I know the word for it: colourism.
At the time, I noticed how society, the media and even people close to us would say, “Black is beautiful”, yet their reactions sometimes told a slightly different story.
There are different shades within the Black community. Some seem to be more widely celebrated. Others… tolerated.
And I began to wonder why.
The Subtle Messages We Don’t Realise We Send
I remember sitting with a friend once, my legs on show. She complimented me and said:
“Oh Christal, your legs are so brown and pretty.”
Now, I knew what she meant. My legs are one of the lightest parts of my body. She meant light brown. There’s nothing wrong with complimenting that. But it made me think.
Other parts of my body, parts that are darker, are on show far more often. Yet the compliment was specific to the lighter shade.
Was it intentional? No.
Was it revealing? Maybe.
Then there was another moment.
We were watching a programme featuring several young Black children. As each child performed, my friend would say things like, “Aww she’s pretty,” or “She’s so cute.”
Then a lighter-skinned child with long hair came on screen.
Her tone changed immediately.
“Oh my gosh, Christal, look at her! She is sooo beautiful!”
She repeated it. Her facial expression shifted. The energy was different.
Now, my friend loves Black people. She believes Black is beautiful. I know that. But in that moment, something unconscious revealed itself.
If a blind person were in the room, they would have sensed the difference purely from her tone.
And that’s what struck me.
Sometimes colourism doesn’t shout.
Sometimes it whispers – through tone, reaction, emphasis.
Where Does This Come From?
Back then, I wrote that the negativity surrounding darker complexions felt deeply planted – like roots growing through generations.
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Now I understand it even more.
Colourism did not begin with us. It is tied to colonial history, slavery, proximity to power and decades of media representation that centred lighter skin as softer, more desirable, more marketable.
Those ideas don’t just disappear.
They embed themselves quietly into preferences, compliments, casting choices and beauty standards.
Even within our own communities.
What Has Changed Since 2014?
A lot – and not enough.
We’ve seen more representation of dark-skinned women in global media. We’ve seen movements celebrating melanin. We’ve seen powerful voices challenge beauty hierarchies.
Women like Lupita Nyong’o have spoken openly about growing up feeling unseen because of their skin tone – and now stand on global stages redefining beauty.
And that matters.
But colourism hasn’t disappeared. It has simply become more openly discussed.
It still affects dating.
It still affects casting.
It still affects whose beauty is described as “striking” versus “soft.”
It still affects young girls watching television.
And that’s why this conversation still matters.
What I Know Now
In 2014, I ended my blog with hope.
I hoped one day darker skin would be fully accepted as beautiful.
In 2026, my perspective has shifted.
I no longer wait for acceptance.
I no longer measure beauty against proximity to lightness.
I no longer question whether darker skin will “become” beautiful.
It already is.
The real work isn’t convincing the world dark skin is beautiful.
The real work is unlearning the subtle hierarchies we’ve absorbed – and being mindful of the messages we send, even unintentionally.
Because sometimes it’s not what we say.
It’s how we say it.
