Although skins tone perceptions influence the African American community, less is known about how skin color satisfaction differs across complexion. Employing an intersectionality framework, the current study assessed (a) the relationships between gender, self-reported skin color, skin color satisfaction, and the private regard aspect of racial identity; (b) whether skin color satisfaction moderates the relationship between perceived skin color and racial identity; and (c) whether internalized racism relates to skin color satisfaction. African American college students (N= 191) provided their perceived skin color and completed the private regard subscale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, the Nadanolitization Scale, and an abbreviated version of the Skin Color Satisfaction Scale. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to test most hypotheses. Although skin color was not significantly associated with skin color satisfaction, skin color satisfaction moderated the relationship between perceived skin color and private regard. Darker skin African Americans high in skin color satisfaction reported higher private regard than those low in skin color satisfaction. Additionally, internalized racism significantly predicted skin color satisfaction. Psychosociological implications are discussed.
BaldwinJ. A. (1980). The psychology of oppression. In AssanteM. K.VandiA. (Eds.), Contemporary Black thought(pp. 97-109).Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
2.
BaldwinJ. A.BellY. R. (1985). The African Self-Consciousness Scale: An Afrocentric personality questionnaire. Western Journal of Black Studies, 9(2), 61-68.
3.
BlairI. V.JuddC. M.ChapleauK. M. (2004). The influence of Afrocentric facial features in criminal sentencing. Psychological Science, 15, 674-679.
4.
BondS.CashT. F. (1992). Black beauty: Skin color and body images among African-American college women. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22, 874-888.
5.
Boyd-FranklinN. (2003). Black families in therapy: Understanding the African American experience. New York: Guilford Press.
6.
BrandE. S.RuizR. A.PadillaA. (1974). Ethnic identification and preference: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 81, 860-890.
7.
BrelandA. M. (1998). A model for differential perceptions of competence based on skin tone among African Americans. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 26, 294-311.
8.
BrookJ. S.PahlK. (2005). The protective role of ethnic and racial identity and aspects of an Africentric orientation against drug use among African American young adults. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 166, 329-345.
CalogeroR. M.Tantleff-DunnS.ThompsonJ. K. (2011). Self-objectification in women: Causes, consequences, and counteractions. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
11.
ChambersJ. W.ClarkT.DantzlerL.BaldwinJ. A. (1994). Perceived attractiveness facial features, and African self-consciousness. Journal of Black Psychology, 20, 305-324.
12.
ChavousT. M.BernatD. H.Schmeelk-ConeK.CaldwellC. H.Kohn-WoodL.ZimmermanM. A. (2003). Racial identity and academic attainment among African American adolescents. Child Development, 74, 1076-1090.
13.
ChowE. N.SegalM. T.TanL. (2011). Analyzing gender, intersectionality, and multiple inequalities: Global, transnational and local contexts (Advances in Gender Research, Vol. 15). Bingley, England: Emerald.
14.
ClarkK. B.ClarkM. K. (1940). Skin color as a factor in racial identification of Negro preschool children. Journal of Social Psychology, S.P.S.S.I. Bulletin, 11, 159-169.
15.
ColeE. R. (2009). Intersectionality and research in psychology. American Psychologist, 64, 170-180.
CoardS. I.BrelandA.RaskinP. (2001). Perceptions of and preferences for skin color, Black racial identity, and self-esteem among African Americans. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 31, 2256-2274.
18.
CokleyK. O. (2002). Testing Cross’s revised racial identity model: An examination of the relationship between racial identity and internalized racialism. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49, 476-483.
19.
CrossW. E.Jr. (1991). Shades of Black: Diversity in African-American identity. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
20.
CrossW. E.Jr. (1995). The psychology of nigrescence: Revising the Cross model. In PonterottoJ. G.CasasJ. M.SuzukiL. A.AlexanderC. M. (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 93-122). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
21.
EberhardtJ. L.DaviesP. G.Purdie-VaughnsV. J.JohnsonS. L. (2006). Looking death worthy: Perceived stereo typicality of black defendants predicts capital sentencing outcomes. Psychological Science, 17, 383-386.
22.
FalconerJ. W.NevilleH. A. (2000). African American college women’s body image: An examination of body mass, African self-consciousness, and skin color satisfaction. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24(3), 236-243.
23.
GlennE. N. (2008). Yearning for lightness: Transnational circuits in the marketing and consumption of skin lighteners. Gender & Society, 22, 281-302.
24.
GoldenM. (2004).Don’t play in the sun—One woman’s journey through the color complex. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
25.
GoldsmithA.HamiltonD.DarityW.Jr. (2006). Shades of discrimination: Skin tones and wages. American Economic Review, 96, 242-245.
26.
GrambsJ. D. (1965). The self-concept: Basis for reeducation of Negro youth. In KvaraceusW. C.GibsonJ. S.PattersonF. K.SeasholesB.BrambsJ. D. (Eds.), Negro self-concept: Implications for school and citizenship (pp. 11-51). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
27.
GullicksonA. (2005). The significance of color declines: A re-analysis of skin tone differentials in post-Civil Rights America. Social Forces, 84, 157-180.
28.
HallR. E. (1992). Bias among African-Americans regarding skin color: Implications for social work practice. Research on Social Work Practice, 2, 479-486.
HillS. A. (2002). Teaching and doing gender in African American families. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 47, 493-506.
31.
HughesM.HertelB. R. (1990). The significance of color remains: A study of life chances, mate selection, and ethnic consciousness among Black Americans. Social Forces, 68, 1105-1120.
32.
HorowitzE. L. (1936). The development of attitude toward the negro.Archives of Psychology, 194, 8-36.
33.
HorowitzR. E. (1939). Racial aspects of self-identification in nursery school children. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 7, 91-99.
34.
HunterM. L. (2005). Race, gender, and the politics of skin tone. New York, NY: Routledge.
35.
KaufmanE. A.WieseD. L. (2012). Skin-tone preferences and self-representation in Hispanic children. Early Child Development and Care, 182(2), 277-290.
36.
KeithV. (2009). A colorstruck world: Skin tone, achievement, and self-esteem among African American women. In GlennE. N. (Ed.), Shades of difference: Why skin color matters (pp. 25-40). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
KlonoffE. A.LandrineH. (2000). Is skin color a marker for racial discrimination? Explaining the skin color-hypertension relationship. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23(4) 329-338.
39.
MaddoxK. B.ChaseS. G. (2004). Manipulating subcategory salience: Exploring the link between skin tone and social perception of Blacks. European Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 533-546.
40.
MaddoxK. B.GrayS. A. (2002). Cognitive representations of Black Americans: Reexploring the role of skin tone. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 250-259.
41.
MillionesJ. (1980). Construction of a Black consciousness measure: Psychotherapeutic implications. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 17, 175-182.
42.
MucherahW.FrazierA. D. (2013). How deep is skin deep?The relationship between skin color satisfaction, estimation of body image, and self-esteem among women of African descent. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 1177-1184.
43.
NealA. M.WilsonM. L. (1989). The role of skin color and features in the Black community: Implications for Black women and therapy. Clinical Psychology Review, 9, 323-333.
44.
ParrishC. H. (1946). Color names and color notions. Journal of Negro Education, 15(1), 13-20.
45.
PoranM. (2006). The politics of protection: Body image, social pressures, and the misrepresentation of young Black women. Sex Roles, 55, 11-12.
46.
RobinsonJ. L. (1992). African American body images: The roles of racial identity and physical attributes (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.
47.
RowleyS. J.SellersR. M.ChavousT. M.SmithM. A. (1998). The relationship between racial identity and self-esteem in African American college and high school students. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 715-724.
48.
RussellK.WilsonM.HallR. E. (1992). The color complex: The politics of skin color among African Americans. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
49.
RussellK.WilsonM.HallR. E. (2013). The color complex (revised): The politics of skin color in a new millennium. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
50.
ScotthamK.SellersR.NguyênH. (2008). A measure of racial identity in African American adolescents: The development of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity–Teen. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14, 297-306.
51.
SellersR. M.Copeland-LinderN.MartinP. P.LewisR. L. H. (2006). Racial identity matters: The relationship between racial discrimination and psychological functioning in African American adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16, 187-216.
52.
SellersR. M.RowleyS. A. J.ChavousT. M.SheltonJ. N.SmithM. A. (1997). Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity: A preliminary investigation of reliability and construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 805-815.
53.
SellersR. M.SmithM. A.SheltonJ. N.RowleyS. A. J.ChavousT. M. (1998). Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity: A reconceptualization of African American racial identity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 18-39.
54.
SettlesI. H.NavarreteC. D.PaganoS. J.AbdouC. M.SidaniusJ. (2010). Racial identity and depression among African American women. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 248-255.
55.
Simon Wiesenthal Center, & Market Facts, Inc. (1985). A National survey of black Americans. Los Angeles, CA: Simon Wiesenthal Center.
56.
Smith-BynumM. S.BestC.BarnesS. L.BurtonE. T. (2008). Racism and internalizing symptoms among African American late adolescent males: Investigating the role of private regard. Journal of African American Studies, 12, 142-155.
57.
SmithL. R.BurlewA. K.LundgrenD. C. (1991). Black consciousness, self-esteem, and satisfaction with physical appearance among African-American female college students. Journal of Black Studies, 22, 269-283.
58.
TaylorJ. (1990). Relationship between internalized racism and marital satisfaction. Journal of Black Psychology, 16, 127-134.
59.
TaylorJ.GrundyC. (1996). Measuring Black internalization of White stereotypes about African Americans: The Nadanolitization scale. In JonesR. L. (Ed.), The handbook of test and measures for Black populations (pp. 217-228). Hampton, VA: Cobb & Henry.
60.
ThompsonM. S.KeithV. M. (2001). The blacker the berry: Gender, skin tone, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Gender and Society, 15(3), 336-357.
61.
TownsendT. G.ThomasA.NeilandsT. B.JacksonT. R. (2010). I’m no Jezebel; I am young, gifted, and Black: Identity, sexuality, and Black girls. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34, 273-285.
62.
TullE. S.WickramasturiyaT.TaylorJ. (1999). Relationship of internalized racism to abdominal obesity and blood pressure in Afro-Caribbean women. Journal of the National Medical Association, 9, 447-451.
63.
ViglioneJ.HannonL.DeFinaR. (2010). The impact of light skin on prison time for Black female offenders. Social Science Journal, 48, 250-258.
64.
WadeT. J. (2008). Skin color biases: Attractiveness and halo effects in the evaluation of African Americans. In HallR. E. (Ed.), Racism in the 21st century: An empirical analysis of skin color (pp. 135-150). New York, NY: Springer.
65.
WadeT.BielitzS. (2005). The differential effect of skin color on attractiveness, personality evaluations, and perceived life success of African Americans. Journal of Black Psychology, 31, 215-236.
66.
WashingtonN. C. (1997). The relationship between internalized racism, locus of control, and marital satisfaction in African-Americans. Dissertation Abstracts International: The Sciences and Engineering, 57 (10-B), 6658. (UMI No. 95008247)
67.
WatsonS.ThorntonC. G.EngellandB. T. (2010). Skin color shades in advertising to ethnic audiences: The case of African Americans. Journal of Marketing Communications, 16, 185-201.
68.
Watts-JonesD. (2002). Healing internalized racism: The role of a within-group sanctuary among people of African descent. Family Process, 41, 591-601.
69.
WilderJ. (2010). Revisiting “color names and color notions”: A contemporary examination of the language and attitudes of skin color among young black women. Journal of Black Studies,41, 184-206.
