23
ISSUES: Racial & Ethnic Discrimination
Chapter 1: Racism & discrimination
Allen, who is
from Adelaide
in Australia, said her
Tinder date’s skin-whitening comments
really upset her.
She told the
Daily Mail
: “I was so in
shock that someone would ever send
that to me that I actually started
crying out of frustration. I’ve never
had anyone suggest that I bleach my
skin before.”
She added: “There’s so much pressure
for people of colour like myself to
conform to European beauty ideals
and standards.”
After receiving the hurtful message,
Allen replied saying: “Have you ever
considered drinking bleach because
the world would be so much prettier
if you did.”
The make-up artist also posted an
image of their text exchange on
Facebook and took the opportunity
to speak out about skin bleaching
and racism.
She wrote: “What goes
on in people’s heads that
makes them think this is okay to
say to someone?
“As if people of colour don’t already
struggle enough with the pressure to
conform to Eurocentric beauty ideals
and standards, people like this add
even more.”
She continued: “I’ve grown up hearing
‘You’d be prettier if you were lighter’
and ‘You’re pretty for a black girl’ as
if black women are just generally
unattractive, and so it’s a surprise
when one of us is.
“Not to mention the fact that as
a mixed race woman people are
constantly hitting me with the ‘but
you’re so pretty, what are you mixed
with?’ bulls*** when I simply say ‘I’m
black’. As if black can’t be beautiful on
its own and that I should be grateful
to be mixed with something because
whatever I’m mixed with makes the
black ‘okay’ all of a sudden.”
She added: “People are always
complaining that I post too many
things talking down about white
people ... but none of you realise that
this is the s**t that myself and other
black women have to deal with on a
daily basis.
“It’s easy to say ‘don’t let it get to you’
and what not but this isn’t a one time
thing. I’ve been hearing this crap ever
Models of colour at NewYork FashionWeek
Fall-Winter 2014 Season
Source: Jezebel.com
White
models
78.69%
Black
models
9.75% Asian
models
7.67%
Latina
models
2.12%
Other
0.45%
since I moved to Australia and I can
guarantee you that women who are
even darker than I am hear it even
more.
“If you have to say ‘not trying to be
offensive/racist/mean’ before you say
something, DON’T SAY IT.”
Since speaking out against the hurtful
skin-bleaching comments, Allen said
she has received racist messages and
even death threats from trolls.
But added that everyone else’s “love
and support” has outweighed it all.
She said: “I feel like I’ve done the right
thing standing up for myself and I
hope at the very least I have helped a
few other people gain the confidence
to stand up for themselves.”
As for the guy who sent the hurtful
comments in the first place, Tinder
has confirmed he’s now been
removed from the app.
26 April 2016
Ö
The
above
information
is
reprinted with kind permission
from The Huffington Post UK.
Please visit
co.uk for further information.
© 2016 AOL (UK) Limited
“Just curious but have
you ever thought about
bleaching your skin?
You’d look so pretty if
you were whiter!”
“There’s so much
pressure for people of
colour like myself to
conform to European
beauty ideals and
standards”
“As a mixed race woman
people are constantly
hitting me with ‘but
you’re so pretty, what
are you mixed with?’
[...] as if black can’t be
beautiful on its own”
