Some Thoughts on Dark Skin & Somalis

[Yahya Liban-Lewis]

I'm darkskin and proud, fukk the haters

 

[jugjugwacwac]

I never denied that light skin is associated with beauty among Somalis. My point was that it's just one of many features Somalis consider nice on a female, and it's not any more or less important than those other features. Light skin isn't required in order to be deemed good looking by Somalis, while in other cultures it is. Also skin colour is not a determinant of social status/value within our society like it is in other societies. Lastly our fondness of lighter skin in women is not influenced by European conceptions of beauty as is the case in other cultures.

 

[NAF]

Anyways I largely agree but there's been too much talk about skin colour on this site lately.
This may sound like some "reverse-racism" nonsense but I've noticed people on this forum saying thay dark skin is a more "authentic" somali feature and saying that "melanin-deficient" (light) somalis are ugly etc.
I think that's really rude and is equally as bad as insulting someone for being dark
Also light-skin people do NOT automatically have any "privilege" over dark skin people in our society. Lets not adopt this SJW viewpoint

 

[SOMALI GENERAL]

Lightskin has pretty much always been the benchmark for female beauty in all cultures not just ours. As for us males, skin tone doesn't matter at all.

 

[Prince of Lasanod]

Pre civil war, this was true.

However, now I've some absolutely ugly girls get called beautiful just because they are light skin(bleached as well). Somalis seem to be copying Indian culture and are obsessed with Bollywood.

 

[agnes]

Somalis find straight thin nose more beautiful than light skin. You will hear he/she has san-qaroor a lot when a persons beauty is described. Or daxyar/small waist, lips, long hair, piercing eyes. Skin color doesn't mean=pretty so I don't know why people associate light skin=qurux unless you are blessed with the above qualities it's not the case at all.

 

[CaptainMajid]

Pre civil war, this was true.

However, now I've some absolutely ugly girls called beautiful just because they are light skin(bleached as well). Somalis seem to be copying Indian culture and are obsessed with Bollywood.

Honestly I think this may help explain it. Something has definitely changed post civil-war as far as female beauty standards go.

 

[Prince of Lasanod]

Honestly I think this may help explain it. Something has definitely changed post civil-war as far as female beauty standards go.

Perhaps because there has been a lot of technological advancement such as the internet, television, social media etc? We were in a civil war for most of this time which has led to the detriment of Somali culture and complete societal collapse. Also one of the factors of tahreeb.

 

[jugjugwacwac]

I read it, you're arguing its one feature among many.

But I think you're downplaying colourism back home, to balance against the SJW overreach

I'd be willing to accept its a recent development, not something tied to Somali culture as its historically played out. But the popularity of Diana at home and among the diasporas closest to Somalia shows light skin has become a very important feature and that beauty standards have likely changed.

See, ur using an African Americna lens to discuss the issue saaxiib. There is no colourism at all in Somalia. According to the dictionary "Colourism is the prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group." This is non-existent in Somalia. Light skin is just a beauty ideal, nothing more nothing less. My post was for people like you who think it's something more. Do u think a light skin Somali has a better chance of getting jobs back home for example? Or that Somalis families don't let their kids marry a darker Somali? That's what colourism implies.

 

[John Michael]

Was this such an issue pre-civil war? Most of the older Somali videos I've seen featured dark skinned women.

Now we have bleached faced women all over Somali television.

It wasn't so pronounced but I think many somalis travelling/living in the Middle East and being influenced by that media (they worship blonde hair and blue eyes) is why there is a bleaching phenomena . Also the horrible make up, they wore much more subtle make up back then.

 

[Hemaal]

If a girl has a cute face and a nice body, I don't think most Somali guys give a f*ck about her skin tone!

 

[CaptainMajid]

See, ur using an African Americna lens to discuss the issue saaxiib. There is no colourism at all in Somalia. According to the dictionary "Colourism is the prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group." This is non-existent in Somalia. Light skin is just a beauty ideal, nothing more nothing less. My post was for people like you who think it's something more. Do u think a light skin Somali has a better chance of getting jobs back home for example? That's what colourism implies.

I agree light skin isn't a sign of social status in Somalia and is confined to beauty standards.

Colourism may be the wrong word, but I think its clear light skin has become more important trait as far as female beauty goes. Why is this the case?

 

[Gambar]

Honestly I think this may help explain it. Something has definitely changed post civil-war as far as female beauty standards go.

Loss of pride/culture and Somalia being more influenced by other cultures/races because of civil war and no strong government plays a big part. What's interesting is, I've never witnessed reer badiye/miyi people mention skin color, only the "reer magaal" who I noticed happen to be the ones with less culture.

 

[Thatsomaligirl]

This whole colorism issue doesn't touch the young as much as it touches the older generation.

 

[jugjugwacwac]

I agree light skin isn't a sign of social status in Somalia and is confined to beauty standards.

Colourism may be the wrong word, but I think its clear light skin has become more important trait as far as female beauty goes. Why is this the case?

It could be that it hasn't become more important, but that the means to attain lighter skin have become more accessible. I don't think these creams were around in the 60's, 70's and 80's, even in the skin lightening obsessed regions of Africa and India/Pakistan. So it could be a coincidence that the creams became widley known and acessible during our civil war period. And since light skin was already a beauty ideal amongst us Somalis it's only logical that women would bleach themselves to gain an advantage in the mating/marriage market. It's no different than the proliferation of nose jobs in Iran, women do whatever they can to look better. So why lightening creams in Somalia and not nose jobs? Well we're a poor country and lightening creams are infinitely more cheaper than plastic surgery, and also because our women have nicer noses than Iranian women on average. So women from each ethnic group will naturally focus on the features they feel they're lacking. Pale white women tan themselves for example to look better, but no one ever thinks it's due to self-hate and that they're trying to be black. It's the same thing with our women, they wanna look lighter cuz our men like that, but they're not self-haters who are trying to become cadaan or carab.

 

[XamarCade]

Yeah, it's like some African American madow talk at a hood barbecue. I don't know where these guy got this sort of thinking from. Well I know where, but I don't know why they subscribe to it.

I agree 100%, but don't forget Somalis are notoriously known for giving nicknames, just because someone gets nicknamed dhuxul doesn't take nothing away from there beauty.

 

[Inquisitive_]

Good thread ina abti. I too noticed there's a focus on features (slender nose, long slim neck, long legs, small waist) and this light skin phenomenon isn't something that has to do with nomadic Somali culture.

You are wrong, Somali's even before the colonialist always valued slim, slender, small-waist and legs on women, it's part of our phenotype make-up, the fast majority of women had these features and they still do back home until this day.

This idea of big buggy chair sized assesses and boobs the size of helium balloons is a totally alien culture, it's not even Eurocentric, this was adopted from the AA communities and rap videos.

 

[Angela Davis]

So where does bleaching come from?

That dark-skin light-skin shit is obnoxious and the fact that so many Somalis in the West follow that line of thought just shows how Westernised they are. It's one thing to acknowledge that dichotomy in the West, but to apply it to Somali culture and Somalia is idiotic.
Just shows how people are so eager to play the victim and assume every non-white culture has ideas of white supremacy.

 

[Reign]

Lol you're all very delusional if you think colourism doesnt exist within Somalis. It exists from young to old.

 

[jugjugwacwac]

Lol you're all very delusional if you think colourism doesnt exist within Somalis. It exists from young to old.

In what ways does it manifest itself? Give some examples.