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. |
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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.