Dark skin penalty, shame and resistance: negotiating colourism in UK families

Abstract

Colourism–prejudice and discrimination penalising people with dark skin–can occur in many social settings, including within families. Drawing on qualitative research with women and men from different minoritized ethnic backgrounds in the UK, we argue that while families can be an important buffer against racism, children are often exposed to colourism by family members. Our findings, based on reflexive thematic analysis on data from 33 semi-structured interviews, highlight how families can reproduce colourism. Taking an intersectional analytical approach, we found that colourism in families is often gendered, with girls and women more affected than boys and men. We found that dark skin can be seen as negative and a potential source of familial shame. Further, colourism in families can have harmful, enduring effects on wellbeing and body image. However, we found that families can also be sites of resistance, protecting family members from colourism.