❤️

Please get a patreon or some way we can support you! I’m a new sub but whenever I find people who I want to learn more from I want to support them with what I can!! Great video. Thanks for uploading and working hard on this!

@@maybelikealittlebit Thank you so much for the support! I have just set a Patreon accounr and it is in the description bar of this video 🤍

What does Town of Tawiah mean

@ladame Tawiah is one of my family's names, so I just named my channel after it. I refer to the channel as a town because I intend it to grow and have visitors who share their work on the platform and subscribers who stick around like citizens, nothing too serious x

I’ve noticed this and it bothers me so much?? Like sitcoms in the 90s/2000s with all hispanic casts, all black casts, and the people directing those shows were black or Hispanic, and it feels like you’ll never see anything like ravens home or George Lopez’s show again

Yeah I’ve noticed this too Especially in music videos

💯

Omg I’ve noticed this 😫

With the invention of social media etc. beauty standards have changed unfortunately

Seeing as there are less mixed people and light skinned people in the world wouldn’t it actually be diverse to have them on-screen? Or is it only diverse if it’s a darker toned black woman??? I agree that it seems disproportionate in Hollywood media and also Bollywood etc. that’s literally colourism. But no already diverse POC should give up their spots for someone you deem “more diverse” that’s bullshit. Just make more black characters... simple as.

@@BlueberrySummertime Your statement doesn't make sense. You're saying that darker skinned people should be excluded from media representation because, there's more of us around the world?

@@BlueberrySummertime It's disproportional.

@@BlueberrySummertime As a mixed race person, I am telling you shut up. You are embarrassing yourself. The darker skinned women are being erased and that is the topic. Cry me a river in the corner please, and pass the beans while you're at it!

@@BlueberrySummertime first of all they isn’t “less” light skinned or mixed people in the world 😭🤣

What about African Americans

Exactly!

What about British Africans

Exactly. Well said👏🏾‼️

Exactly!!!! And even that sometimes those characters are side lined as well (mostly in mixed or white media)

True but can we please stop using the term light skinned when referring to biracial/mixed people because they also come in different shades. In a way you are saying that they are black people which is why Hollywood will cast them as black. Let go of the one drop rule.

@@realkr8324 Woops! My bad. Lemme edit that.

@@realkr8324 Preach!

That one got me 😂😂

Mitchikoooo

One of my favorite parts😂‼️

@Mr Glasses Ofmg every comment you've made on this video has been annoying ignorance of *any* of the global racial context society has had for centuries. Just shut up.

@Mr Glasses saying something is made for a “whiter” audience is not racist... she’s pointing out what is happening in media. Pointing that out is not racism, how do you even get that.

They really did blackface on a fair-skinned black person in 2016!!! and thought we would rather that than a dark-skinned lead 💔

Cynthia more & Zaldana are both colorist. Before all the backlash they must have known that bringing a prostetic nose & dark foundation to " play " an ICON is absolutely wrong. They didnt care. (Did Denzel need lighter foundation to play Malcolm X?!) .. Now with all the BLM in the media that Zaldana chick is crying and telling people sorry for playing the role of Miss Simone. She is soo fake..

@@jm.4699 facts that “movie” (And I’m being nice calling it that) happened in 2016 it took you 4 YEARS!! To realize it was wrong. Absolute BS and you made a great point on Denzel playing Malcolm X if you can actually act you don’t need any fake extras for the audience to know who you’re portraying

@@jm.4699 right! if I was fair-skinned and biracial and someone asked me to do blackface for a film I would politely decline.

she lost everything which was necessary.

That’s why we have to separate ourselves from biracials and they should be there on group we have to stop claiming them

This will especially benefit black women

This is a great point. They don't want to keep telling their stories so they can control the narrative.

Why should white people tell a different races story? Doesnt tyler perry write a lot? Any reason why he doesnt do true stories instead of garbage?

@@NYD666 who says white people for the 'they' part I wrote? Even if I said that, in reality POC writers aren't given so much chance to produce. Producing your own movie is very expensive and unfortunately Tyler Perry only writes his movies on his own instead of hiring black writers. His movies are indeed garbage, pretty sure I and many black people can agree with that.

@@NYD666 That's a cop out. People keep saying "white people should not write poc stories because they mess up" but then white people are the ones that get most hired, the ones that are already stablished in positions of power (in Hollywood and anything else). Yes, I agree white people can't possibly understand and fully develop an arc discussing poc struggles, doesn't mean they shouldn't try to do better while they are already there. In an ideal world, poc would be hired more to tell their stories, they would be in those positions, but we don't live in an ideal world and until then, white people should do better than just rely in one or two black (male) directors. I'm not black tho, so what do I know. I'm just tired that the message keeps being that is only our job (as poc) to give these stories when white people should be doing their homework too, especially because of their privilege.

@@randomuserwitharandomname6183 I also don't feel comfortable with other people capitalizing off of another culture. Like Disney trademarking An African phrase.

@Alice Wintour I meannn neither can Yara Shahidi (no shade), but she has lead roles in TV and film. And some of the other Gen Z actresses in teen shows aren't monumentally great actors either, yet they book lead roles. I really want to dismantle the expectation that dark skinned actresses must "earn" their due by being exceptionally talented because no one else in that age bracket is held to that standard, though I hear you on the pretty privilege thing. There's room for Ryan and Lyric and Kiki. Kiki is actually also one of my faves.

@Alice Wintour why not? Why can’t dark skin women take advantage our their “pretty privilege”. Why can’t ALL dark skin actresses have their shine. Seems like your insecurities are coming out.

aja naomi king and nicole beharie need to be in so much more

@Alice Wintour Ryan is also mixed race with a mixed race parent. and type 3 hair.

@@leslief2542 The media has been using mixed and biracial women to represent Black women for so long that now Whites viewers and all other races of people believe these women are Black.

This!!

I didn't even know that was a thing

@@thecurseddinkleberg4086 it's just something I've picked up in movies with the one black person looking ashy or dressing oddly...and actresses saying they wore a weave cause the stylists couldn't do their hair

@@Sthuthukile I also didn't know that was a thing. I'm a white woman trying to educate myself so I can educate my child, and this wasn't on my radar, but it is now. It makes me sad to learn that people are told their natural hair is too hard to work with by someone who is supposed to be an expert in hair. A stylist should have to learn how to work with all types of hair, not just perfectly straight hair.

Top comment. And that's one of the okey-dokes we black folk keep falling for all the damn time. Just look up any so-called pro-black movie or tv show and look for videos of the people behind the scenes.

Right im tired of the erasure of LSBW. These are tan white people if they're fair Black. Realistically fair mixedrace people should just own it. BEIMG MIXED IS GREAT. You're just not Black, but you can be AA.

I have to disagree with you heavily. As a light skinned mixed woman i HATE with a capital H when people assume im half black and half white. I'm black and creole. Stop trying to take away my culture just because youre frustrated. We all are including lightskinned and dark skinned women alike.

@@candacewalker9181 so you're not half Black? Realistically LSBW are being erased by the mislabeling of mixed-race women. If you're half white you're not lightskinned. You're *half white* . There are Black women who are naturally lightskinned and they deserve to be represented. Calling a half-white person "lighskinned Black" is as ridiculous as calling then "tan white" or "dark-skinned white". There's nothing wrong with being mixed-race. We just need to recognize that mixed-race people are not Black, so LSBW need to be represented.

@@israeliana you didnt read what i said at all. Im in fact over half black although i wouldnt know exact percentages. People assume I'm half white all the time as youre doing now. I honestly love dark skin especially when I can get tan enough to show my own off. Youre preaching, so you should know black women come in all shades. Erasing a light skinned womans black culture is part of the reason theres such a divide in the first place.

@@israeliana not to mention people mixed with white and black have every right to embrace their black culture and be called biracial because its exactly what they are. You cant erase their culture just because theyre half white, just remind me of the feeling of "not black enough for the black kids and not white enough for the white kids" youre exuding that energy

Dream girls is based off of The Supremes and actual group from the 60s. Deena Jones character is supposed to be be Diana Ross (who is light skin) and Effie is Florence Ballard. The movie is very much related to the rest story. Curtis is Barry Gordy. The only significant difference is Effie was the one who has the baby and it was Diana Ross in real life.

@@CopperCulture I know all this but the original broadway Deena was a dark skinned woman. The whole thing with Diana is that her voice had cross over appeal not her looks as both Mary and Florence were just as beautiful. It was never about complexion if it were Florence would have been the lead singer since she was actually light skinned/mixed. Diana didn't even look light skinned in the 60s and 70s but that's another story lol no shade. But anyway the west end and broadway revivals are blatantly CHOOSING to cast light skinned women as Deena and brown to dark women as Effie. Not taking away from all the talent but it plays into a negative stereotype.

The man that wrote the play wanted them all to be dark skin and was disappointed when they cast light skin beyonce for the movie.

I am south Asian light skinned too and this hit too close to home

I agree. I just felt that the overarching theme of the show was surrounding pitying, admiring or questioning Sam for most of the 30 episodes. Considering everyone had the chance to share their story, Sam didn’t have to end up somehow being the face or common factor of almost every episode imo.

@@TownofTawiah Very true! I struggled connecting to the show because Sam is such an unlikeable character. She’s selfish and inconsiderate. I wis annoyed when she kept cutting Joelle off during the radio show. It was very much a mirror into her character arc. She’s also “superficially woke” which may be a commentary the show is trying to make about “wokeness” as a commodity. I’m thinking of that episode where they made an app to choose who was the “wokest”. Joelle and Coco deserve better (and Kelsey lol).

@@TownofTawiah I get what you’re saying but I think that by focusing on the mixed girl in the black caucus and then calling it out is the perfect way to portray what the media does to erase dark skinned black women. Although this only works for those aware of the subtle branch of colourism so it’s probably not affective to the deniers 😂😂

Joelle as the “sidekick” I believe was addressed briefly in S1 and then in S2 and 3 more extensively. Dear White People is definitely a guilty pleasure show for me BECAUSE of Joelle and Coco too to some extent. Joelle is a sidekick character on purpose because the show is a satire of young, Black elite PWI university life. Sam as a light skin mixed girl being the “main character” who really isn’t great, but gets all the attention reflects that satire as well. It was done with purpose to reveal those things, not be the problem. The show isn’t perfect by any means, and S3 was trash IMO, but the argument that the show is colorist when that’s the point has always thrown me. It’s the point of the satire.

The show ended too soon😔

THANK you!

@Always Open Those mixed race kids are not regarded as black in Nigeria where I’m from or anywhere in Africa because that’s where the real black people are and we call them white. Also, we know our people that are naturally light skinned with two black parents. Regardless they are both white and black and they should be proud of being mixed and not just be boxed into one category.

@Always Open I definitely agree with you but we have different shades in Africa including Albinos. What these European countries are doing is giving false hope to biracial kids because if they ever decide to visit any African country or if black people stop regarding them as black that can cause confusion and the feeling of not belonging . Why not give them confidence to identify as who they really are which is mixed.

@@tbeauty334 we don't call them white in Nigeria sis please. We call them "half-caste". I actually live here so I can talk.

@@melliexcx My brother is mixed and he was called white by fellow Nigerians and half cast is another word Nigerians use as well. Otherwise, please define oyinbo.

Coco deserves to have a great career, disney robbed her

Dey ain want hah cuz she ain't no light skinnt' guhll

Looks like skai might be bleaching

@@BluEx22329 Is it really a surprise? All of them do that.

@@BluEx22329 or she's a brownskin that changes the colour if not outside.

those preferences pre-date European colonialism.

I dated a lady from Guyana years ago and was shocked to find she used a skin lightener.

Exactly

Facts they keep recycling the same stars

Couldn't put it better.

Support black women authors/comic creators/artists/producers who put black women at the forefront with positive and feminine rep check out Adorned by chi they have brown and dark skin black women it's a magical girl comic.

Just to be clear mixed with black is still black, ur just not fully black

​@@mistyangelfx3804 No its mixed, the one drop rule applies only in the US

I love her eyes 😍

I was obsessed with her

@@kennedyjojackson1202 me too!!!

@@purplelove3666 Yay! When my mum first saw her she said that I have doe eyes like her! 🥺💅🏿I was happy about that 💗

@@kennedyjojackson1202 are you the girl in the middle.you kind of favor her

Trash

You people are way more racist than any white (or slightly brown) people on earth. You’re judging people on the actual tone of their skin because it’s not dark enough? Vile!

@@normalbehaviour476 I sincerely believe you have the complete opposite understanding of the issues like this original comment and many others have been discussing on this video topic: The issue being discussed isn’t that “there are too many light-skinned people in media”. It’s the notion that light-skinned actors (mainly light-skinned women) are preferable in society and that’s reflective due to how they’re represented in media. Also, how seemingly lighter skinned/bi-racial black women are often used to represent black women as a whole. Also, comparing the roles that light-skinned women have vs the few roles that darker-skinned woman receive. Again, it’s not about someone being dark or light enough. It’s about how one (light-skinned) is being preferred over the other (dark-skinned) as THE standard of beauty but still markets to the whole (both light and dark skinned) as a “representation” of a black women. This is also a very common issue in East Asian cultures as well, as explained in the video. Dark skinned women are generally perceived as less desirable, more masculine, and of lower status/intelligence. This is how most are portrayed in media today and that stems from the global influence of Eurocentric aesthetics. It supports a false narrative that harms all woman (because it pins them against one another) but especially darker skinned women; whereas all skin tones are beautiful and a woman (or a man) shouldn’t be relegated to be a certain stereotype just because of the color and/or shade of the skin tone. If you’re still reading, I hope this has brought some clarification.

@@FJAR1635 Thank you so much! This is exactly what I wanted to say. Great explanation

@@normalbehaviour476 huh

You’re right they do

Not always to they only put those actors as thugs never as lawyers or normal roles

@@edgytypebeat781 facts

@Glocktavious Please Get A J.O.B you clearly don’t get the point and see why it an issue because you obviously have a vandetta against black men judging from your previous comments

@Glocktavious Please Get A J.O.B being seen as overly masculine is a bad thing especially when you want to get a job because people might see you as too but intimidating and won’t hire you and people will always have preconceived notions about you and judge you based of looks reason why police stops us for no reason or get followed in the store by the shop owners and there is way more bad about this but you obviously won’t see it because you have a vandetta against black men

Thank you, I appreciate this! Also, I Just checked your channel out and I’m so glad I did because know I have more amazing content to binge on !

@@TownofTawiah oh thank you, that's very kind! I do think we could learn a lot from "small creators" and the way you present information/your editing is amazing

Me too...especially when she goes out of her way to rep Latinaness and downplay the Afro...

@@marymiller6188 Honest to god. Her looks are racially ambiguous like that. Everytime she plays a role it's literally the same representation of one kind of deemed 'socially acceptable' black woman. Her hair is always straight/Wavy, she's petite(xs) dating a white man and she's lightskin. AND SHE'S MIXED. Idk.. I just dont feel like she's relatable to most of 'Us'. I just wish they'd cast BLACK women instead of some whitewashed and watered down versions of what we're supposed to be.

@@yokonono2171 well said, but its not what we're supposed to be, its what they want us to be. What they're comfortable with

@@yokonono2171 you don't need to bring her size into it.

Yoko Nono Zoe saldana is not even pretty, I think Gabrielle Union is prettier

This is why its important to distinguish a black woman vs a biracial woman. Because we know what they'll favor.

What a waste of a good beat🤮🚮

What colourism in grownish?

Thats so dumb that they did that

Definitely. I don’t care if she’s a black Hispanic like me. She should have not done this role. I do not look at her the same way after💯.

Michaela Coel should be cast.

They could cast India Arie and I’ll watch it

I can relate 😂

@Kay Cee lol. you didn't even notice that the dragon lady's husband and whole tribe were 'people of colour'? look at the 'savages' and you will easily find where the melanin is in GOT,

@Kay Cee open you eyes luv. the non-melanins are given the majority of parts and allowed to tell many stories and be reflected in nuanced ways. the melinated people were 'barbarians' and given 'one story' as Chimamanda would call it and largely played in the background. as soon as you start noticing it, you will see it everywhere....

@Kay Cee the queen of dragons had a biracial sidekick

To be fair, that’s intentional from a story perspective and those notions actually come into play within the show itself. The show exemplifies many real-world issues such as: class, racial discrimination, sexism, religion etc. All of those things come into play in the show and aren’t just general stereotypes of certain demographics. Also, the series is heavily influenced by medieval Eurocentric literature and history. The attitudes of the characters in the show regarding race, sex, religion etc are a reflection of the attitudes of those time. The “civil, Eurocentric capital” and the “savage wasteland”. I would strongly encourage you to continue watching the show so you can see how all of those issues are developed throughout the seasons but it’s completely understandable to be turned off from the *many* shenanigans that go on in that show.

I appreciate this bro ! 😌✨

Shining shining shining shining yeah 😍*Patricia bright voice* lol

With black.

Agreed! TBT

Welcomee, I'm glad you joined! Your video on how Kelly Stamps ruined your life was so thought-provoking, I was discussing it recently with my sister. Loved it! Looking forward to seeing your future productions, I'm interested in writing and directing so hopefully we can stay in touch 🙌🏾

🙏🏾❤️

the whole of season 6 was Annalise admitting that she felt incapable of truly giving love and empathy, she even at one point discussed how this was in relation to how the world receives women like her when addressing Sam's black ex-wife which reiterates my point. She had developed a hard exterior that guarded her from receiving the love that was given to her because she was used to things like love/attention being weaponised against her. I agree the series did go on to break down the 'strong independent trope' when she went into rehab and they themselves addressed that this was because of how she was dehumanised by the rest of the world. That doesn't take away from the fact that she still played into the strong independent trope. Something can be multi-faceted and still have at one point played into a problematic narrative. The eventual deconstruction of a problematic narrative doesn't always negate the problematic storyline that preceded it. But that is just my take. I gave htgawm its due praise but I was challenging the constant portrayal of dark skinned leads as having to be presented as 'strong' and fierce.

​@@TownofTawiahI disagree. We say we don't want black women being side kicks to white characters. Then we get a strong black lead and she is too strong? We have to decide what we want

❤️❤️

Thank you, I’m glad that you enjoyed this video. Funny you mention that because I used to work with SEND children and I am autistic so this is a form of representation that I am very interested in! I would love to make a video on this topic soon 🤍

@@TownofTawiah I would definitely watch it if you made a video on the subject! I forgot the actress’s name, but the woman you mentioned who they essentially did black face to, instead of just hiring a darker skinned actress instead of the lighter skinned one they hired, it reminds of how Sia hired a neurotypical person to play the role of an autistic person, instead of just hiring an actual autistic person. I also used to work with disabled kids and adults (before I had my own two kids). My son has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair, I think it’s so important for children to see children like themselves in the media, and portrayed in a positive, accurate way.

@@laurenw.3656 I agree that the Zoey Saldana situation does resemble the Sia situation, it's as if people don't realise that there are actors with special needs and disabilities that are fully capable of playing such roles. I remember watching quite a few shows when I was growing up that included actors with disabilities (something special, desperados etc) and it made me so much more educated on their experience and less confused when I was diagnosed with ASD. So I agree that representation is essential! I look forward to discussing this more in an upcoming video. Sending love to you and your family !

Thank you! And Same honestly, I think about that scene in my spare time 💀😂

It's worse than the 90's! The 90's had shows like "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," as well as movies like "Cinderella (1997)!!!!!!!!!" And now? Zendaya??!!! Listen. I love her just as much as the best straight/bi man and bi/lesbian woman, but she should *NOT* replace darker people! She is not representation!

@@awesomedude5558 Agreed! TBT

And changed her whole personality along with it

NEON FEATHER Right? Claire was so much cool before

@@gbmnbm4154 exactly!

First Last Well this is what I saw, her mom didn't like the script I think, I also saw that jazz(first Claire) said in a interview about the producers wanting something more older and she wasn't ready

Thank you! By the way, if you have any book recommendations from your class please feel free to share them if you get the time ❤️

@@TownofTawiah Our class is more journal articles based unfortunately! I could maybe email you the article I mentioned. My dad did gift me the book called Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. I haven't cracked it open yet but it is from Oprah's book club! ❤️

Thank you so much, I did it myself that morning so I really appreciate this haha 😂❤️

@@TownofTawiah it’s so beautifully laid and looks really 😌!

Thank you, I really appreciate you 🥺❤️❤️

Thank you! 🤍

Thank you! xx

Thank you! 🖤

Everyone hates chris was very colorist too

@@mimilocke5650 how?

@@mimilocke5650 what exactly did EHC do on the show that was colorist?

Have you watched ‘I May Destroy You’

Atlantics is a beautiful African love story/mystery on Netflix that has a dark skinned lead. It has incredible visuals too, one of my favourite films.

The Good fight is a stellar legal drama about an African American law firm, highly underrated!

blood and water

-Behind Your eyes -Namansta (Nigeria/Indian romantic film) on Netflix -Lovebirds -The Photograph

thank you ! xx