She’s ugly. She’s dumb. She’s mean. She’s a mud duck. She’s covered in a layer of dirt that must be washed off. She’s pretty– to be so dark.
These are some of the comments shared by dozens of women and children in the new documentary “Dark Girls: The Story of Color, Gender and Race” at its Washington premiere before a packed house at the Warner Theatre on Jan. 20.
One woman said that she had internalized such comments most of her life, because they came from family members and others whom she trusted.
“I can remember being in the bathtub,” she recalled, “and asking my mother to put bleach in the water so that my skin could be lighter and so that I could escape the feelings that I had about not being as beautiful, as acceptable, as lovable.”
Although those thoughts still haunt her, she began to feel more comfortable in her skin once an aunt pulled her aside and repeatedly told her she was beautiful.
Described as a grass-roots project created in two-and-a-half years, “Dark Girls” explores the effects of colorism, or bias based on skin hue. It ties this prejudicial behavior to slavery, the persistence of racism and self-hatred by those on both ends of the colorism spectrum. In addition the film looks at the issue globally from the Caribbean to Africa where some women use bleaching creams, often with damaging effects, to lighten their skin.
The documentary intersperses the women’s stories with analysis by psychological, spiritual and sociological experts. It also brings up assorted practices such as the paper-bag test used to gauge lightness and sayings like “the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice.”
“We wanted to use the film as a way of creating a dialogue and healing,” said actor and filmmaker Bill Duke during a question-and-answer period following the screening. Duke produced and directed “Dark Girls” with D. Channsin Berry, who also participated in the discussion.
One young woman in the film said she became aware of colorism when she overheard a backhanded compliment in which her mother began extolling her features. “And then she adds: ‘Could you imagine if she had any lightness in her skin at all? She’d be gorgeous!’ And just that last little part — all that pride that I had about her bragging on me just dissipated.”
Another woman considered it astonishing that only white people found the contrast of her platinum hair against her smooth dark skin so stunning. “It’s really questionable to me,” she said. “Why is it that they think that I’m so beautiful and my own people don’t see any beauty in me at all?” She grew up hearing comments like “Here comes Blackie” or “Here comes Tar Baby” or “She stayed in the oven too long.”
Many people in the audience moaned as they watched tears stream down the face of a woman with closely cropped hair and striking features as she recalled the birth of a close friend’s daughter. “Girl, I’m so glad she didn’t come out dark!” her friend exclaimed. “It felt like someone took a dagger and stuck it in my heart.”
One mother said that she’s teaching her sons to help boost their sister’s self-esteem, since “she doesn’t like to be called black.”
“Dark Girls” also includes a spin-off of the landmark doll study by psychologist Kenneth Clark and his wife, Mamie, that was used to assess segregation’s impact on Black children and that was cited in Brown v. the Board of Education.
A woman in the film displays a drawing of five girls, identical except for skin color, and asks a chocolate little girl with braids several questions:
“Show me the dumb child, and why is she the dumb child?”
The girl points to the darkest drawing and responds, “’cause she Black.”
“Show me the good-looking child, and why is she the good-looking child?”
The girl points to the opposite end and responds, “’cause she light-skinned.”
Washingtonian and VH1 host Janell Snowden also discusses colorism issues and brings up the controversy over possible digital manipulation of Beyonce’s images, which has raised concerns over a double standard of beauty and the messages being sent to young women and girls. L’Oreal has denied lightening the singer’s skin in advertisements, while Harper’s Bazaar was criticized for a cover depicting a pregnant Beyonce with significantly thinner thighs.
Oscar-nominated actress Viola Davis, who recently appeared in “The Help,” shares the challenges of growing up dark and trying to make it in Hollywood. She said that she has dealt with these issues in therapy and that she has forgiven her father for passing on his dark skin.
When the subject turns to men, audience reactions ranged from laughter to teeth-sucking, especially for the college-age man who prefers dates with light skin and long hair. “I don’t really like dark-skinned women,” he said. “They look funny beside me.”
Many men made similarly superficial comments, but some said that skin color didn’t matter or that they preferred darker women. The woman who cried said men were fascinated by her exotic beauty, but only behind closed doors. Another agreed that dating “was more of a hidden thing” as a teenager and that boys would meet her only after school.
Duke and Berry envision two sequels: one on men and another on light-skinned women. In the meantime, they will continue raising money for additional screenings of “Dark Girl” and plan to release a DVD later this year. No dates have been set yet for other local showings, but they responded favorably to those who expressed an interest in helping to arrange screenings at area schools and colleges. They encouraged supporters to “like” their Facebook page, and they have set up a donation box on their website at www.officialdarkgirlsmovie.com, where people can also share their stories.
The filmmakers worked outside the Hollywood system to produce their documentary, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. “No one would invest so we dug into our own shallow pockets,” Duke said.
The two men, who experienced the issues of dark skin firsthand, told audience members that it was up to them to help erase colorism and solve the underlying problems.
“The skin issue is a discussion we all need to have once and for all,” Berry has said, “so we can eradicate it.”
