Historically, in just about every part of the world, those with lighter skin have been seen as more favorable and more attractive, as compared to those with darker skin. This has been especially prevalent in Asian, African and South American countries. This is referred to as colorism. Colorism is defined as “a form of racial discrimination based on the shade of an individual’s skin tone, typically favoring lighter skin. It can occur both within a specific ethnic group and across ethnic groups.”
To feed our curiosity about what our fellow Egyptians have experienced with colorism, Marianne Melleka Boules and I decided to compose a simple survey on Survey Monkey, consisting of 10 questions. In total, we received 33 responses: 24 women and nine men. The ages of respondents ranged from 21-56 years old. 21 respondents were born in the U.S., one was born in England, and 11 people were born in Egypt. Currently, one person resides in England, one in Germany, one in Egypt, and 30 in U.S.
On a scale of 0-100, 0 being the lightest skin tone, 100 being the darkest, the average answer was 44. Interestingly enough, the majority of responders perceived their skin tone as lighter than what they believed others perceived them to be.
Seven people responded that, yes, they had been bullied based on their skin tone. Some were told that they were “too dark.” Others were told they were too “fair skinned” to be Egyptian. One woman reported that while she wasn’t bullied based on her skin tone, but rather on her hair type; She was specifically told that her hair type resembled “pubic hair.”
10 of the 33 people remarked they had heard negative comments about their skin tone from their family or community. The majority of these 10 people reported that they were told that they are“too dark,” compared to lighter skinned cousins, and oftentimes advised to stay out of the sun. Surprisingly, a few noted they heard negative comments about being “too light-skinned” and being “adopted.”
Three people reported wanting to have darker skin when they were asked about wanting to change their skin tone. Two of the three noted wanting to have darker skin to look “more” Egyptian. One respondent said, “I used to wish that I had darker skin, so I could fit in with the Egyptian community at church.”
Another said, “I wish I could be darker, so I could be accepted as an Egyptian.” Two respondents reported to wishing their skin tone was lighter. One person said, “When I was a child I used to often wish I was blue-eyed and blonde… I used to cry in front of the mirror yelling ‘why me, it’s not fair I am so ugly… and I am a male.”
Another said, “I tried to scrub my ‘darkness’ away in the shower, and had civic fantasies about what I would look like if I was just a few shades lighter.”
Those reporting a desire to be lighter skinned was consistent to what we hypothesized we’d find, given the cultural pull towards lighter skin. The desire to be darker skinned, however, was surprising, but contextually sensible, result. Given the universal desire to fit in and belong, it appears as though those on the ends of the color spectrum just had a desire to be towards the middle and be closer to the norm. This mirrors my own experience. Having lighter skin, hair, and eyes, as a child, I longed for darker features in order to look more “Egyptian.”
I do find it refreshing and fascinating that the majority of responders reported feeling more content and accepting of their skin tone. I wonder if this is in response to much of the societal feedback we’ve received in recent years on “accepting ourselves as we are.”
If you did not participate in the survey, what are your thoughts? What has your experience been? We’d love to hear from you.
Note: responses shared here have been lightly edited for punctuation and clarity.
Jennifer Ghobreyal works as a licensed marriage and family therapist. She has a passion for mental health and removing the stigma of psychological disorders, especially within the Coptic Community. She’s also passionate about the interplay of culture and faith/religion. In her free time, she loves to read, cook and spend time with her husband, family and friends.
