African American Colorism In Hollywood: The
Plague of the 21st Century
Aritra Bera- AP Research Period 6
Problem Statement
Problem
Possible cause
unconscious colorist
bias, cemented across
time periods due to
society’s preference for
lighter skin.
Colorist bias
within the African
American
community
influencing hiring
practices in the
Hollywood
Industry.
How to provide
insight?
study which investigates this
unconscious preference for
lighter skin utilizing a case
study that analyzes the rates
at which light skin actors and
dark skin actors with the same
amount of experience are
hired for small budget films
Who
dark skinned
African
Americans due
to inner colorist
bias of Directors
and producers
in the Film
Industry
Research Question
Is there a correlation between skin tone of producers and skin
tone of the African American actors they hire, with in the sector of
small budget films in Hollywood?, and if so, how does this
correlation affect the rate at which they hire dark skinned African
American actors?
Definitions
-
Colorism prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin
tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.(For my
Small films: A motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or
private investor.
Hollywood: American Film Industry, NOT the neighborhood in Los Angeles.
Assumptions/ Hypotheses
3
1
Assumption #3
Assumption #1
❏ Colorist Bias Exists
across multiple areas
of American Society,
influencing the justice
system(Duke Law
Journal), Education
System(Theory Into
Practice), and beauty
standards(Sociology
Compass).
2
Assumption #2
❏ Colorist Bias within
the African American
Community is an issue
that has continued
across time periods,
reaching new heights
of prevalence in 1920s,
in cities such as
Memphis and
Harlem(Black
Struggles in
Memphis,Tennessee).
❏ Colorist bias also
affects hiring
practices for
movie industries
in other parts of
the world, such
as the Bollywood
Industry in
India.(Racialized
Casteism)
Significance of Research
Significance # 3
Significance #1
❏ adding to my
body of
knowledge(Co
lorism within
the African
American
community)
Significance #2
❏ Issue of
colorism has
never been
looked at with
the population
of black actors
in Hollywood.
❏ Colorism
has never
been
looked at
from the
lens of
small films,
in any film
industry.
❏ Pave Way
For
Blockbuster
Film Study
Method of Inquiry (Proposed)
Step 1
Compile Data on
skin tone ratings
across various
small film
producers.
Step 5
Step 2
Data: average number selected for
each subgroup. Compare within
subgroup and then compare
subgroups against each other:
(Data for dark skinned producers
vs data for light skinned
producers).
Step 4
Producers assign
color for themselves,
+ which number/
color theyd most
likely hire.
Random Selection
- Light Skin
Producers
- Dark Skin
Producers
Step 3
PCAP- show participants
9 color block of African
American skin tones w/
assigned numbers.1=
lightest 9= darkest
Anticipated Results or Findings
❏ I anticipate that the lighter an individuals skin is, the less likely they are to
prefer a darker skin tone. Producers with dark skin shall typically have a higher
average color rating( darker skin preference) than producers with lighter skin.
❏ I also expect that overall producers will select a number/ skin color rating that
is equal to/lower than their own.
❏ Ultimately if these anticipated results hold true, then my data will show a
correlation between the skin color rating of producers and their preferred skin
color rating.
Sources
Goudsouzian, A., & McKinney, C. (Eds.). (2018). An Unseen Light: Black Struggles for Freedom in
Memphis, Tennessee. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. Retrieved October 4, 2020,
from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2111h1m
Hall, J. C., & Crutchfield, J. (2018). Black women’s experience of colorist microaggressions. Social Work in Mental
Health, 16(4), 491–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2018.1430092
Hunter, M. (2008). Teaching and Learning Guide for: The Persistent Problem of Colorism: Skin Tone, Status, and
Inequality. Sociology Compass, 2(1), 366–370. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.0007
★Crutchfield, J., Fisher, A., & Webb, S. L. (2017). Colorism and Police Killings. The Western Journal of Black
Studies, 41(3-4), 81+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A554787913/AONE?u=fol3515&sid=AONE&xid=f64f2c12
★Jones, T. (2000, April). Shades of brown: the law of skin color. Duke Law Journal, 49(6), 1487.
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A69977492/AONE?u=fol3515&sid=AONE&xid=bf21b698
★Monroe, C. R. (2016). Race and Color: Revisiting Perspectives in Black Education. Theory Into Practice, 55(1),
46–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2016.1116876