Yellow-bone

Perfect makhwapheni material (the other woman),drama-queen, man-eater, home-wrecker, promiscuous, shallow, loose are just some of the words that come to mind whenever one thinks of the term "yellow bone". Nowadays we live in a society that is very commercialized and obsession about beauty is overrated everywhere we go. There is a stigma that- the lighter the better, which is one of the main reasons why our African sisters are caught up and blinded by complexion-fueled ethnocentrism. Rivalry between "Team yellow-bone" vs "Team chocolate brown" of females of the same race with just different shades of black say negative things about one another just to maintain superiority. It is almost like it is a competition of who is better and who is not.

The outer layer of our bodies is more than just mere shell- skin forms a huge part of our identities. It is puzzling why most black females choose to use skin lightning and bleaching creams that are advertised daily on television and magazines but yet again tend to be hypocrites and shift their own insecurities about their looks to confident, young light complexioned ladies by labeling them as "they think they are better just because they are lighter".

It is an utmost shame that we have been brainwashed since forever that white and black are not equal nor should they be categorized in the same level. Black as a norm for us symbolizes darkness, dirt and evil whereas white represent peace, life, purity and cleanliness. Racial segregation has always been a serious and enormous problem not only in South Africa but the whole world. The complexion conundrum is just one of the many effects of the Apartheid and post-apartheid era.

Hypothetically speaking, yellow-bones turned out the way that they did because they are a mixed breed of black people and other races. Well known celebrities like Beyoncé Knowles can be categorized as yellow-bones because even though her parents both look black but the truth is her mother is Louisiana Creole - a mix of African, Native American and French which explains why she (Beyonce) has light skin and blonde straight hair.

Beyoncé Knowles and her parents, Tina and Matthew Knowles.

An image of the ever so famous songstress Beyoncé Knowles for the Loreal cosmetics brand that had critics question why her skin was lightened in the adverts.

Truly speaking,it is highly unfair how yellow-bones are treated in social media, social gatherings and the society as a whole as if they are the enemies of the state especially by fellow black females and men of course who say they are cheap and should be taken less seriously because they do not look nor represent the true definition of a real woman and are just good enough for showing off since they have no substance. Yes, some of them do lack morals but it is unjustifiable to generalize, it is like saying all men are the same which we all know is not true. After all they did not choose to look the way they do, it's just nature.

The Michael Jackson and Nomasonto "Mshoza" Maswanganyi saga are different cases and they raise a lot of eyebrows and create anger, bitterness and confusion among blacks as to why they chose to bleach their black skins to white. Does that mean that they are not proud of their ethnicity?

The late king of Pop music Michael Jackson was the first to shock the world with his skin bleaching surgery.    Kwaito star "Mshoza" shocked South Africans with her recent skin bleaching.

At the and of the day we are all a creation of God and in his eyes we are all equal and he loves us irrespective of the color or shades of our complexions. No one has the right to bring another human being down just because they think they are better than them.