Dark Girls by Directors Bill Duke and Channsin Berry - Movie Review Example

“Dark Girls” “Dark Girls” is a documentary by directors Bill Duke and Channsin Berry and explores the concept of colorism in the US society based on the views of women on how their skin color affects their outlook in life. The film also includes views about colorism and beauty from men and psychologists. The film begins with an interview of an African American girls sitting beside her mother with asserting that that she does not like being called black. When the off-camera interviewer inquires why that was the case, the girl replies, “Because I’m not black.” The documentary thereafter delves into racial relations where the history of African Americans is in the US is traced back to slavery through to the emancipation, civil rights movement up to the current period through the elaborations by Cheryl Grills. This discussion about racism is narrowed to that of colorism and the concept of who is considered beautiful in the African American race. The problem of colorism is blamed on practices during the period of slavery where he slave masters by making the black race seem inferior. The issue of black inferiority is further narrowed to the division of the black workers based on how dark their skin appeared. During this period, slaves with a lighter skin color were picked to work in the house while those with darker complexions had to work in the fields with the situation at the time being that most slaves preferred working in the house than the fields. "Paper Bag Test" is also introduced where everyone one wanted to be lighter than the paper bag since that meant they were closer to the white race. Being lighter than the paper bag makes one to be considered smart and beautiful which is also seen in the experiment that feature an African American girl in front of a chart with drawings of people representing a continuum from lighter skin to dark skin. The ideas presented in “Dark Girls” fits into the topic of skin color and percepts of beauty, intelligence and self-esteem which are also tackled by Joseph Healey in “Diversity and Society: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender”. The issue of color and the influence it has on the various aspects of an individual’s life has been well handled by Healey. Healey agrees with the perception that discrimination based on skin color can exist even for members of the same race. According to Healey, social profiling was an essential strategy used by the whites during the era of slavery to justify their system of inequality that was based on unequal treatment of African. Creation of supremacy based on race is therefore a result of historical conflict although it is still being propagated in the contemporary world. This author notes is not based on any objective reality about racial differences but is only perception that people hold (19). Therefore, by continuing to base intelligence and beauty on the skin color, those interviewed are propagating the assumptions that according to Healey were created in the era of slavery to justify subjugation of the black community. The comparisons of Black people to the Whites based on whether the skin is dark or light as seen in “Dark Girls” is based on the fact that there is no clear cut distinction that represents where the white and black skin color is differentiated. Healey acknowledges this is because the “dividing lines between the so-called racial groups are arbitrary and blurred” (18). Just as the skin color has been associated with intelligence and beauty in the documentary “Dark Girls” Healey asserts “race is perceived as a continuum of possibilities and combinations” (302). This is evident in the documentary where men perceives women of lighter skin as being more suitable for marriage with one man claiming his mother had told him to have a girlfriend with light skin and long hair when he goes to school. Healey confirms the notion created in the documentary that discrimination based on skin color is a socialization problem that commences earlier on in a child’s life (26). Children are socialized into having certain prejudices about people based on their skin color and by age three they are able to classify people based on their skin color. By forming these prejudices at an early age, Healey adds children will begin to develop stereotypes and attitudes towards people. This assertion is true based on the results in “Black Girl” where the child always picks the drawing of a dark person for questions about who is dump or ugly. The child seems to have internalized the prejudice even at this early age. Healey blames this on parents and other adults around the child since children will always seek to imitate the grownups in their life. Personal Reaction A significant question that arises from watching “Dark Girls” is what the perception is on beauty (or for this matter handsomeness) and intelligence for the male members of the African American community. There is no justification in documentary to show that colorism and its implication is a social problem for female members alone and not for the male. While being aware that the title of the documentary is “Dark Girls” and therefore indicates the documentary was to zero in on female members of the African American community, justification should have been made on why this was the case. Another perspective would have been for the male members with dark skin to be interviewed to find out the type of women they attract whether it those with dark skin or a lighter skin. This project has a lot of significance in the contemporary world where people seek to be attractive to the opposite sex or for the purpose up lifting their self-esteem. “Dark Girls” goes a long way in explaining the current situation where the bleaching skin products continue to have increased number of clientele. It also implies the attitude of the people of color not just in the US but globally has not been able to change long after the end of slavery and colonialism. It should be expected that by now, the people of color would have achieved a greater level of self-esteem and assurance that race cannot be the basis on which their gauge their chances of being successful. Healy asserts that studies had long indicated there were no correlations between race and intelligence, which means there is no ground for the contemporary society to continue with the historical belief on supremacy of the white or light skin (18). Dark Girls also has significant implications for social relations as seen in Michael Colyar’s take on the issues of racism and prejudice based on color. Michael Colyar’s asserts that even though the color theory in which Whiteness is related to goodness and Blackness to evil in society, he does not hold negative feelings against the White members of the society. The aim of this documentary was to create a platform on which members of different races would engage for the purpose of identifying and deal with some of the racial assumptions that are not accurate. Although an emotional, subject, meaningful approach to the question of prejudices about skin color should not elicit hatred but create an avenue for creating a more equal society. Consequently, “Dark Girls” as a documentary that seeks to make the society more aware of the damages that colorism has on women of color has is best placed to create the starting point for the dialogue. Although there have been major areas that indicates positive image especially of women of color who have achieved greatness, there are still more young girls who need to be sensitized to the effect that their skin color has nothing to do with beauty or intelligence. Such undertakings will improve the self-concept of the girls to be appreciative of their skin color and focus on being productive and successful members of their societies. Works Cited Dark Girls. Duke, Bill and Channsin Berry. Dir. 2012. Film. Healey, Joseph F. Diversity and Society: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. Thousand Oaks, California: Pine Forge Press, 2011. Print. Read More