Dark Girls (***)

My indirect introduction to the topic of this film was as an adult, reading about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned various types of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. To me, the reference to “color” seemed mostly a reiteration of “race,” a semantic difference. But most black people, not just in the United States but Africa and elsewhere, wouldn’t need to learn about “colorism” in from a book. This largely in-group prejudice, typically to the disadvantage of darker-skinned people, especially women, is the subject of this documentary.


Directors Bill Duke and  D. Channsin Berry offer no overarching thesis on the topic. Some psychologists and other academics, plus actress Viola Davis, provide some context, but predominantly the film features everyday folks in Atlanta and New York offering a variety of perspectives. From a dating perspective, we hear the views of women and men who both adhere and react against the idea that lighter-skinner people are more desirable. Most poignant are the tales of internalized prejudice. A woman recalls a childhood memory of her mother talking about how beautiful she was, but finish by adding, if only she were light-skinned. Another segment depicts the global phenomenon of skin-lightening treatments. In much of Africa, Asia, and South America, a history of colonialism as well as imported media images have accomplish what slavery plus segregation did in the United States.

Despite the inclusion of “color” in the Civil Rights Act, it’s unclear whether politics or the legal system will help to decrease colorism. (The Equal Employment Opportunity commission has reported an increasing number of complaints based on color in recent years, but it’s still the least common type of complaint.) The film doesn’t talk about politics or law and concludes with platitudes about the need for understanding. It’s not the be-all an end-all on the subject, but it’s a good primer for those who need one and, for those who don’t, no doubt reaffirming.

IMDb link


viewed 3/10/12 7:00 at Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA and reviewed 3/16/12