Light, dark, half naked and objectified

If music videos are emblematic of our popular culture, as Andre Sanchez of SoJones online magazine asserts, there may be a hard lesson to be learned for black females: Being dark skinned is undesirable and unattractive, but if you're a light-skinned black woman, you can be sexy and dripping in jewelry.

Sanchez examines the argument of JoyDailytv.com host Joy Daily, who says that music video producers cast light-skinned black women in music videos and avoid dark-skinned models. The reasons for this, Daily says, range from an emphasis on multiculturalism and racial mixing, to the greater visibility of light-skinned blacks' facial features and expressions on screen.

While Sanchez agrees that the music industry endorses and perpetuates a "truly ridiculous standard set for the definition of beauty," he also criticizes the sensitivity of Daily and those in her camp. Will we need to see darker girls in every video now? Will media coverage of this supposed "light-skin bias" just make women angrier and ignite other criticisms? Sanchez concludes that women need to remember that they are beautiful, regardless of the media's images.

Pardon me, Mr. Sanchez, but if self-esteem and confidence were that easy--if we could just convince ourselves that we are beautiful and intelligent and worthy--no one would even be able to make music videos! These "cultural snapshots" depend on a steady flow of women willing to take their clothes off and parade around as the playthings of men, wooed by big houses, fast cars and expensive clothes. If we let women--black women in this case--believe that they are capable of more and that security lies within themselves--the music video industry as we know it would cease to exist.

That is not to say there aren't black women who are empowered by their sexuality and performance in these videos. Absolutely there are. And that is not to say many of these women don't find huge financial success in the music video industry. I'm sure there are women who carve out a pretty good living on these productions. But looking at the image above (which was embedded in Sanchez' article), women aren't doing themselves any favors in the broader sense. With her backside spilling out of her bikini and her hair up, this woman looks ready to "service" popular rapper Ne-yo. Sure, maybe this is a doctored image, but it speaks volumes about gender portrayals in music videos.

While I think Sanchez' "Just-remember-beauty-comes-from-within-and-forget-that-women-like-you-aren't-on-screen" argument is weak, if not null and void, the man has a point. Color--light or dark or black or white--isn't the issue. Rather, I argue it's the portrayals of women of all colors in these videos. It's the need to change the depictions on screen and the values in society, to applaud and honor strong, independent women with a sense of self-worth and dignity.

Click here to see Joy Daily's documentary feature on this topic.

Photo Credit: SoJones.com