Im Not Light Skin, Im Khaki

While perusing bloggerland and checking out the recent updates, I came across Greg's update about Red Bitches or African American women of a lighter complexion for those that are easily offended. Check it out here for his post.



Greg mentions that a Red Bitch (err light skin woman) can do no wrong in his book and goes on to challenge his readers to name an ugly lightskinned celebrity. For sake of proving a point, I said Tiny. Sorry but, as I said in the comments of his blog, Tiny looks like a badger in the face.

Moving on...

Now, I'm a lighter complected woman and I don't think that I'm superior or more attractive than the next woman and I find it hard to believe that people- yeah, not only men- still have this "light is right" mentality. I've actually heard someone say that they saw a lightskin woman that gave other lightskin women a bad name because of how "ugly" she was. What the fuck kinda bullshit is that? Do lightskin women automatically get some "shorty is the shit" card that I don't know about?

Is America still holding up brown paper bags to judge beauty? It's 2009 and we have a black president but we still have the mindset of our ancestors when it comes to color. Makes me wonder if we would've voted for Barack had he been of a darker complexion.

I digress-

There are still people that think that it's easier for me just because I'm light skin. Excuse me but the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I may get a lot of attention because I'm the typical LSLH chick but please believe that it isn't always positive attention. I've had dudes tell me that they've always wanted to get with a light skinned chick or they find my complexion so sexy. I tell them "Im not lightskin, Im Khaki" and delete them (yup- that's where Khaki came from ). I don't want someone to want me or think that I'm attractive strictly based off of my complexion and anyone that rolls down their windows and yell "Hey LightSkin" will get the ugliest glare my face can muster up.

Furthermore, I refuse to give a chick the stamp of beauty just because she's light skin. Hell no, wont do it! I've seen enough mud duck, flat foot, buck tooth, split end, nappy track, skin looking like Braille light skin creatures in my 23 years to detest that claim.

For every Beyonce there is a Chrisette Michelle. For every Halle Berry, there is a Gabrielle Union. Shit... Naomi Campbell is in her 40's and is still trumping the modeling game right now.

I have no problem with preference in who you want to date but claiming that all or most women that are "red" are beautiful is just impractical and further proves that ignorance is still alive and thriving in the black community.