Colorism in Bioethics

Impacts on People

Physical Impact

In regions such as Southeast Asia and Africa, skin bleaching has become a common beauty practice. In order to make skin appear lighter, those with "darker" skin bleach the skin in hopes of becoming more attractive in dating, and the job market.. Skin bleaching reduces the amount of melanin in the skin, which gives the darker skin tone. Some severe side effects of skin bleaching include mercury poisoning, increased risk of skin cancer, skin infections, and premature aging of the skin.

Colorism can negatively affect the female's reproductive health. Another surprising study conducted on African American girls "found that those who saw their physical appearance as negative, felt they had less personal control over condom use and choice of sexual partners". A different study of African American girls found those who conformed to colorism and judged herself too harshly were more likely to adopt risky behaviors and were seen as more sexually active than those who didn't.

Social Impact

Colorism has played a role in many different social attributes of society. A study from Villanova University found that women who had darker skin were found to have longer sentences to prison than women with lighter skin. Women with lighter skin were given sentences with twelve percent less time than darker skinned women. When applying for jobs, applicants with lighter skinned individuals are more likely to be hired than those with lighter skin. Discrimination from colorism leads to feelings of isolation, incopetence, and typically disregarded

Psychological

The effects of colorism have been detrimental to mental health. Those who identify as "Asian are most likely to report poorer self-rated mental health and self-rated overall health".. Dark-skinned black women are more likely to experience depression, eating disorders, and distorted body image as they are the population that deviates the furthest from the typical European standards of beauty. Susan L. Bryant reports that this population is "likely to suffer feelings of inadequacy and report emotions of anger, pain, and confusion toward traits such as skin color and hair"

Colorism has been known to lead to a lower view of self-esteem. In a study of African American youth, 11-19 years of age, research showed that those who reported their skin to be a certain shade of color were less satisfied with their skin color. Studies have shown that women tend to further colorism rather than males dues to the expectations of beauty standards in various countries and cultures around the world.

Sources

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