Posted: Thu 11 Dec 2008 21:24 Post subject: Darker-skinned celebs (female)
I know there are many dark-skinned females (particularly those who identify as African-American) that frequently state they are treated unfairly when it comes to getting work in Hollywood or the modeling industry because they’re not perceived to be attractive according to American/Western standards of beauty. To an extent, this is undeniably true, but attitudes are steadily changing--just not fast enough for many people. Also I think there are other factors besides skin color that they use to judge a woman's level of attractiveness because every light-skinned actress working in Hollywood isn't necessarily viewed as a dimepiece (or something close to it). Example: Tisha Campbell, the woman who played Martin’s girlfriend Gina on the sitcom “Martin” is moderately attractive, but she’s not considered super fine or drop-dead gorgeous by Hollywood standards or by most people I know. And she is obviously on the light-skinned side--some would even call her "high-yellow" or a "redbone."
Tisha Campbell
With that said, I’ve decided to give props to some famous, darker-skinned women that I find most attractive. When I say darker-skinned, I mean women who would fail to pass the old “Brown Paper Bag” test by at least a shade or two (mocha colored?). It should be noted that I’m not giving any regard to ethnicity, whether or not they’re MGM, their admixture percentages, or if they have a parent who is Indian, Caucasian, Latin, Asian, etc. Obviously these picks are only my opinions, so please chime in or add other darker-skinned females to this list that I probably forgot. You’ll probably notice that some of these women have previously been added to the Popular People section of this site at some point or another—I’ve just annexed them to this compilation.
Karyn White (If any of you are over 30 yrs old, you may remember Karyn was an R&B singer who had a handful of hits in the late 80s/early 90s)
Tatyana Ali
Robinne Lee
Lanisha Cole
Kenya Moore
Syesha Mercado
Traci Bingham (I realize this woman has had some work done, but the results turned out pretty well, lol)
Lark Voorhies
N'Bushe Wright
Melanie Brown
Ciara
Gabrielle Union
Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas
Robin Givens
Stacey Dash
Golden Brooks
Adassa
KD Aubert
Rachel Smith
Megan Good
Kerry Washington
Joy Bryant
Zoe Saldana
Kent King
African beauty queens
Last edited by amatrex on Wed 04 Feb 2009 17:31; edited 4 times in total
I think skin color has nothing to do with attractiveness. You can be dark and still be pretty or good-looking. Example: Blair Underwood. This guy is hot!
Joined: 07 Oct 2007 {Posts: 248 } Location: United States
Posted: Fri 12 Dec 2008 09:16 Post subject:
Sadie wrote:
I think skin color has nothing to do with attractiveness. You can be dark and still be pretty or good-looking. Example: Blair Underwood. This guy is hot!
The funny thing is, it's not such a deal when it comes to males. Rather, many AA women find darker men more attractive than lighter skinned men. That trend seems to be more common with AA women, and perhaps the reverse for AA men.
I also agree that attractive women come in all shades, but I must admit that Eurocentric beauty standards play a role in which features i find attractive. Just lately though, I've actually had a more african bias. Dark skinned, full lips, but with a small nose and catlike large eyes. <----i tend to find that i'm most attracted to those latter 3 features in any "race." The dark skin is more of a recent thing...types like lanisha cole.
Also, contrary to popular belief, many West African models and music video dancers actually have looks that are not so stereotypically west african, well to american eyes. Time and time again, I am shocked by the beauty that I see in some of these women, however they're mostly in videos and not so much pictures. No worldwide success, i'm afraid.
All of those women are beautiful (coming from a straight female ), and many are mixed-raced too. If these are your 'type' then you are 'typical' of most AA men (I assume you are AA, but correct me if I am wrong).
However, I would not call most of them dark-skinned as they are varying degrees of brown and they have 'mixed' or 'non-negroid' features. Most of the American examples are not West-African looking feature wise-, despite their color. Many could be mistaken for mulattas in Europe (or are - Melanie "Scary Spice' Brown).
The tag 'Dark-skinned' IMO, is usually reserved for 'West-African' types who do not look like Iman (Somali Mrs. Bowie), but more like Oprah. These women of various backgronds all look 'African-American', not especially dark (except for a few) and not African (some may even be of direct African descent) to my eyes.
Finally, holding these women (non-African) up in the media as examples of AA beauty is fine for Americans, probably better than using LSBs (i.e colorism issues), but most of them still look like New World (mixed) Blacks to me. And most do not resemble the West African Beauty Queens at the bottom, if you ignore color.
Yes, Melani 23 I am black at least that's what I've always identified myself as—although I have no idea how much admixture I might possibly have, lol. The same goes for the women I listed. I’m aware that nearly all of them have varying degrees of admixture that was passed down through their bloodlines which probably gave them those facial features that are not typical to West African natives. As far as skin color goes, I’m calling them dark-skinned in comparison to people who possess the skin shade of Halle Berry. I use Halle as an example because many people have referred to her as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, and she identifies as African-American (and she would also pass the silly “brown paper bag test”). That’s why many African-Americans who are irritated about the lack of dark-skinned women in Hollywood usually point to Berry and assume that most AA women have to be her complexion to be considered beautiful or to become a superstar. That’s obviously not always the case, as I previously mentioned actress Tisha Campbell; she’s obviously very light-skinned, but I’ve never seen her on the cover of any mainstream beauty magazines. I was just trying to make the point that it’s not always about skin color alone. Without question, skin color meant EVERYTHING back in the day—just ask Lena Horne or watch the Dorothy Dandridge story.
Here’s an example: If American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino and R&B singer Lil Mo were paired up sitting at one end of a singles bar; and Lanisha Coles and Robinne Lee were sitting together at the other end, I think more guys would make their way to Cole and Lee's end (if none of them were famous).
Fantasia Barrino Lil Mo
Lanisha Cole
Robinne Lee
And if you’ll notice, they all have similar skin shades that favor the dark brown side. This is no disrespect to Fantasia or Lil Mo because I think they're both talented singers. But as you said, Melani, I guess I fall into the typical AA guy category when it comes to how I perceive hotness.
Here's my question: Should men, particularly the typical AA ones, be ashamed at the fact that we are mainly attracted to AA women (including those who identify as AA and those who don't) who have certain physical features that are not common to West Africans? I must say that I've never been to any west african nations, so I don't know what most of their women look like. But I do think the ones on my list are very attractive though. I'm wondering would we (AA males) be less of a sellout or considered more Afro-centric in many black women's eyes if we were attracted to women who are of Ethiopian or Somalian descent?
As some of you probably may remember, rapper/egomaniac Kanye West once got into a bit of trouble with the black community (female) about his controversial statements he made concering his admitted affinity for hip-hop video girls that are what he called "mutts."
Last edited by amatrex on Fri 12 Dec 2008 19:22; edited 2 times in total
All of those women are beautiful (coming from a straight female ), and many are mixed-raced too. If these are your 'type' then you are 'typical' of most AA men (I assume you are AA, but correct me if I am wrong).
However, I would not call most of them dark-skinned as they are varying degrees of brown and they have 'mixed' or 'non-negroid' features. Most of the American examples are not West-African looking feature wise-, despite their color. Many could be mistaken for mulattas in Europe (or are - Melanie "Scary Spice' Brown).
The tag 'Dark-skinned' IMO, is usually reserved for 'West-African' types who do not look like Iman (Somali Mrs. Bowie), but more like Oprah. These women of various backgronds all look 'African-American', not especially dark (except for a few) and not African (some may even be of direct African descent) to my eyes.
Finally, holding these women (non-African) up in the media as examples of AA beauty is fine for Americans, probably better than using LSBs (i.e colorism issues), but most of them still look like New World (mixed) Blacks to me. And most do not resemble the West African Beauty Queens at the bottom, if you ignore color.
I was unaware that West Africans only have one look? There are West Africans with sharp features they are not as common but they are there. In addition there are very dark complexioned West Africans with phenotypes that closely resemble Asians. Also there are West Africans that are dark complexioned but the complexion is within the brown to auburn spectrum.
The problem lies in people's assumption on what are correct indicators of admixture (If there could ever be such a thing). The beauty of West Africa to Central Africa ( where slaves were also taken from) is vast and plentiful but people's knowledge of it is rather bleak and when focusing on African beauty they reference East African or North African or South African.
I will admit if I hadn't spent the bulk of my childhood surrounded by my Geechee family (with admixture that is said to be 5% or less ) I wouldn't have questioned American's perception of West African features either. But people have little interest in researching the phenotype variety of this land or different variences in hair textures (since not all kinky hair is created equal). But many are content to assume their slanted eyes, thin lips, brown complexions, more manageable kinky hair, high cheekbones are indicative of admixture, even light brown eyes could be part of the original West Africans. but instead assuptions are these are a result of some Caucasian or Native American ancestor in the U.S.
I wonder if ther are any studies out there that provide connections between racial admixture and phenotype, I am sure there are some if not many African Americans and West Africans that wont match up to peoples guesstimations?
Joined: 07 Oct 2007 {Posts: 248 } Location: United States
Posted: Sat 13 Dec 2008 10:12 Post subject:
^Oddly enough, I was just looking at something of an international myspace, which had quite a few African countries. You wouldn't believe the differences between features in Congo alone. It pretty much squashed my assumptions about "african features" as it seems that africans sometimes hold the entire human range of features. I will post some of those women later in here, or perhaps a different thread.
Just lately though, I've actually had a more african bias. Dark skinned, full lips, but with a small nose and catlike large eyes. <----i tend to find that i'm most attracted to those latter 3 features in any "race."
Grasshoppa, could you please post a pic of a woman like you described as an example (other than the ones I listed)? That's if you can find one.
Joined: 07 Oct 2007 {Posts: 248 } Location: United States
Posted: Sun 14 Dec 2008 10:41 Post subject:
amatrex wrote:
Quote:
Just lately though, I've actually had a more african bias. Dark skinned, full lips, but with a small nose and catlike large eyes. <----i tend to find that i'm most attracted to those latter 3 features in any "race."
Grasshoppa, could you please post a pic of a woman like you described as an example (other than the ones I listed)? That's if you can find one.
Well, the women I'm describing are mostly regular everyday people from a myspace-like website, so i didn't save any pictures. I might go back and get some random pics to share, even though it kind goes against the purpose of this forum lol; "popular" people.
Just lately though, I've actually had a more african bias. Dark skinned, full lips, but with a small nose and catlike large eyes. <----i tend to find that i'm most attracted to those latter 3 features in any "race."
Grasshoppa, could you please post a pic of a woman like you described as an example (other than the ones I listed)? That's if you can find one.
These females, to the best of my knowledge (limited research performed online) have the bulk of their ancestry if not their complete ancestry deriving from their country of origin.
As a disclaimer, I did not administer DNA racial Admixture test on these women to prove such heritage. I would have provided more examples but I have little knowledge of these countries or it's famous people nor do I speak their language to translate correctly (for those countries that don't primarily speak English).
Ghana-Nana Ama McBrown (oh and the last name comes from her adoptive father) Actress
All of the above posted women look W. African to me, except maybe Miss Mali. Mali - colonized by the French, lol.
I have seen Africans of vaying shades, even some who resemble Black Americans. However, I have rarely seen any who looked 'mixed' unless they were. Some Tauregs of West Africa can resemble Beyonce - but this group has mixed ancestry (like Beyonce), and futhermore many of them have naturally wavy/stright hair which she does not, hence her predilection for lace wigs and weaves.
Sorry, most (not all) West Africans do not look like admixtured Black Americans. I am not ignorant to what W. Africans (and many Africans) look like. Atypical W. Africans ones may be lighter (like Nana) but they hardely ever look 'mixed'. She does not look mixed to my American eyes. The only ones who seem to appear 'mixed' IMO, are East Africans, and they are usually the first ones to say they are not (some may claim remote Arab admixture).
All of the above posted women look W. African to me, except maybe Miss Mali. Mali - colonized by the French, lol.
There are a lot of different phenotypes in that country. I've even seen pictures of people from Timbuktu who appear to look like Arabs from Yemen or Saudi Arabia. There's the possibly of admixture there from places farther north.
Joined: 07 Oct 2007 {Posts: 248 } Location: United States
Posted: Mon 15 Dec 2008 18:13 Post subject:
Melani23 wrote:
All of the above posted women look W. African to me, except maybe Miss Mali. Mali - colonized by the French, lol.
I have seen Africans of vaying shades, even some who resemble Black Americans. However, I have rarely seen any who looked 'mixed' unless they were. Some Tauregs of West Africa can resemble Beyonce - but this group has mixed ancestry (like Beyonce), and futhermore many of them have naturally wavy/stright hair which she does not, hence her predilection for lace wigs and weaves.
Sorry, most (not all) West Africans do not look like admixtured Black Americans. I am not ignorant to what W. Africans (and many Africans) look like. Atypical W. Africans ones may be lighter (like Nana) but they hardely ever look 'mixed'. She does not look mixed to my American eyes. The only ones who seem to appear 'mixed' IMO, are East Africans, and they are usually the first ones to say they are not (some may claim remote Arab admixture).
I think West African women on averaged look West African, or rather, you wouldn't confuse them for some other "race." However, I think a minority has features that some people from elsewhere wouldn't think of as being African. I also think that some of these people would be confused as mixed if: a. the skin was lighter and b.the hair texture wasn't kinky.
Subsaharan Africa the most genetically diverse region on the planet. I'm sure any of these women wouldn't be out of place there, though I imagine Africans are much better at categorizing particular phenotypes as representative of certain tribes/countries/regions. New World people are a mishmash of many ancestors. I mean, there is a reason why a person with visible SSA ancestry can travel throughout any North/Central/South American country where there were sizable populations of African slaves and blend into the local population. Even if most of your ancestors are African, they are unlikely to be from the same region or tribe due to the nature of slavery. Since most New World inhabitants are a recent mix of the large continental groups, and all of the ethnic variation within the African group has been racialized to the point that it almost irrelevant whether a "Black" person looks Ibo or Dinka. This is not the case with, say Italian or Swedish looks. My experience with Africans from several countries is that they, like Latin Americans, are very sensitive to facial features and body type.
I think SSA descended people who are not African American are stereotypically "exoticized" by Europeans and Americans especially. And not just women who have more visible Euro, Native or Asian admixture. You see this tendency in the fashion world, where African Americans girls are underrepresented. Bethann Hardison, one of the pioneering AA models and talent agents, speaks about this frequently. It's like the fashion powers that be are more willing to look for SSA beauty in Dakar or Johnnesburg rather than Watts or Harlem. Tyra Banks, one of the few AA supermodels in her day, also talks about it. AA girls are perceived as "ordinary."
But let's not forget we are still the same species! Cousins are everywhere.
Joined: 07 Oct 2007 {Posts: 248 } Location: United States
Posted: Mon 15 Dec 2008 18:18 Post subject:
G-Man wrote:
Melani23 wrote:
All of the above posted women look W. African to me, except maybe Miss Mali. Mali - colonized by the French, lol.
There are a lot of different phenotypes in that country. I've even seen pictures of people from Timbuktu who appear to look like Arabs from Yemen or Saudi Arabia. There's the possibly of admixture there from places farther north.
Example:
Well, Mali borders Algeria. It's not so unbelievable that there would be Berbers and people with Berber ancestry - who to many look like arabs.
The tag 'Dark-skinned' IMO, is usually reserved for 'West-African' types who do not look like Iman (Somali Mrs. Bowie), but more like Oprah. These women of various backgronds all look 'African-American', not especially dark (except for a few) and not African (some may even be of direct African descent) to my eyes.
Melani23 wrote:
All of the above posted women look W. African to me, except maybe Miss Mali. Mali - colonized by the French, lol.
I have seen Africans of vaying shades, even some who resemble Black Americans. However, I have rarely seen any who looked 'mixed' unless they were. Some Tauregs of West Africa can resemble Beyonce - but this group has mixed ancestry (like Beyonce), and futhermore many of them have naturally wavy/stright hair which she does not, hence her predilection for lace wigs and weaves.
Sorry, most (not all) West Africans do not look like admixtured Black Americans. I am not ignorant to what W. Africans (and many Africans) look like. Atypical W. Africans ones may be lighter (like Nana) but they hardely ever look 'mixed'. She does not look mixed to my American eyes. The only ones who seem to appear 'mixed' IMO, are East Africans, and they are usually the first ones to say they are not (some may claim remote Arab admixture).
Then for the most part we are in agreement, I was not attempting to provide examples of mixed populations, since most West Africans have complexions from dark yellow to mostly browns and dark browns to black complexions but provide examples of West African people who's phenotype does not always match up with "Oprah" as that was the example provided. It is difficult to comprehend what a "West African Type" is when all these women are West African Types. These females of West Africa have a variety of looks including sharp features, prominent cheekbones with slanted eyes and small noses.
And I see no importance in the French colonizing Mali since the English colonized the U.S. and last time I checked I was only 3 % Caucasian 1% East Asian.
Subsaharan Africa the most genetically diverse region on the planet. I'm sure any of these women wouldn't be out of place there, though I imagine Africans are much better at categorizing particular phenotypes as representative of certain tribes/countries/regions. New World people are a mishmash of many ancestors. I mean, there is a reason why a person with visible SSA ancestry can travel throughout any North/Central/South American country where there were sizable populations of African slaves and blend into the local population. Even if most of your ancestors are African, they are unlikely to be from the same region or tribe due to the nature of slavery. Since most New World inhabitants are a recent mix of the large continental groups, and all of the ethnic variation within the African group has been racialized to the point that it almost irrelevant whether a "Black" person looks Ibo or Dinka. This is not the case with, say Italian or Swedish looks. My experience with Africans from several countries is that they, like Latin Americans, are very sensitive to facial features and body type.
I think SSA descended people who are not African American are stereotypically "exoticized" by Europeans and Americans especially. And not just women who have more visible Euro, Native or Asian admixture. You see this tendency in the fashion world, where African Americans girls are underrepresented. Bethann Hardison, one of the pioneering AA models and talent agents, speaks about this frequently. It's like the fashion powers that be are more willing to look for SSA beauty in Dakar or Johnnesburg rather than Watts or Harlem. Tyra Banks, one of the few AA supermodels in her day, also talks about it. AA girls are perceived as "ordinary."
But let's not forget we are still the same species! Cousins are everywhere.
However, I would not call most of them dark-skinned as they are varying degrees of brown and they have 'mixed' or 'non-negroid' features.
LOL, what?
I think the only reason why people think their features aren't "negroid" or are "mixed" is because they think every non-mixed black person should look like Fantasia.
And I've never heard that to be "dark skinned" you have to have extremely dark skin and "negroid" features, LOL.
Nope! I'm not saying that. Look, 'Negro' people (W. African) for the most part have 'Negro' features. Anything else is either atypical, a variant, or due to admixture. White admixture? No, but admixture from other surrounding ethnicites because there are other ethnic/racial groups native to Africa that are not Negro...
Furthermore, people who look 'Arab' in W. Africa (G-man's ex.) more than likely have Arab ancestors - Arabs live there too. SSA say this too. Even Iman claimed to be half- Eygyptian when cast in MJ's 'Remember the Time' video
P.S. And Amatrex changed the title to 'darker-skinned', lol.
I do not consider many of the actress/singers/models in his listing to be dark-skinned. Examples - Melani Brown, Traci Bingham, Stacey Dash, KD Aubert , Adassa, Rachel Smith are not dark-skinned to me. They are darker-skinned.
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), and many are mixed-raced too. If these are your 'type' then you are 'typical' of most AA men (I assume you are AA, but correct me if I am wrong).
