Why is the media focused on "light skin" Black women when they don't represent Black beauty?
970142
Black is Black, irregardless of the skin tone.  I am just happy to see women of color represented period.  I don't care how light or dark they are.
37025
Ask God he made us.\n\nI love every inch of me and no matter how much television and magazines try to say that curves are out I will still love me and carry my head high because I am beautiful from my dark brown skin right down to my thick hips, butt and lips.\n\nTell me something,  Why are women of other races running around getting fat pumped into their lips, butts, and hips to look like us yet on tv and in magazines they try to glorify SKIN and BONES?
508677
BLACK WOMEN?  EWWW...GROSS!  KIDDING!  I think women of all colors are beautiful.  Personally, I have no preference for color.  It sounds corny, but it's what's inside a person that counts.
469698
I value beauty by the overall appearance of the body itself, with little regard to the actual color of the individual. If I'm more attracted to a black (should I use black or African American? Or is it a different term now?) woman than a white woman, so be it. Vice is also versa.\n\nBeauty is in the eye of the beholder. If it values race as a source of beauty, then so be it. I just don't happen to think that black (af-am?) women are any more/less pretty than white (caucasian?), hispanic, japanese/chinese/filipino?, etc... women.\nI just like women. :)
469143
No, not offended. But why is the focus ALWAYS on Black/White? The world is race colorful, why do you never see Red/White, or Yellow/Black, or even Brown vs.Whomever as a focus? The media kinda acts like there are only 2 races,well,okay, they acknowledge middle eastern people on the news...
47638
It influences more.  People today are trying so hard to be "glam" like celebrities we see splashed all over the media.  There is no sense of just being yourself anymore.  \nAnd I think people trust the news much more than they should.  People don't realize that journalists are getting paid to write what will sell and won't offend, which is not necessarily the truth.\nThe media in no way reflect our society.
160033
Where do you live now?  I mean, I have lived in several places on the east coast, and the south, as well as visited several cities between the east coast and going out as far as Texas, and I have not noticed it to be true.\n\nI personally never grew up noticing or noting differences in lighter skinned and darker skinned Black people.  I guess because, as a child, my mother never pointed it out to me. I think that when you are young, if someone points it out to you, then you grow up being more cognizant of it.  (And I grew up in the SOUTH).\n\nMaybe, for those lighter-skinned Black people that you feel act that way, they feel they have something to prove.  Black people's self-image, regardless of their complexion, cause them to act in whatever way they feel they have to prove they are "Black enough" or "acceptable enough" in diverse setting (meaning when they are not just among other Black people).\n\nWe, meaning Black people, just need to be ourselves, which is really dictated by what part of the country we grew up, and not try to please or appease someone else.\n\n(just my opinion)\n\nLM
709763
Poor self esteem reinforced by media stereotypes of what is considered attractive. Women are barraged with messages from media and society that the only thing they have of value is thier bodies.
1041027
It is ridiculous the way african americans always have to try and make the white caucasions look as if they are being prejudice. Life is not a racial issue and should not be looked at that way. Everyone has has their own inner beauty and should let that overide any feelings of hate and or prejudice. I sometimes wonder if the african americans are more prejudice than the caucasions that surround them.
117812
Because they represent dark and hiden stuff - even in the way they dress, when you look at them it seems like they call themself - dark.\nAnd dark has always been scary, so, i wouldn't say discriminated, but i think we try to avoid them.\nI'm a very positive person, and i don't enjoy the dark point of view, not from them but from anybody.
22500
Because people in the media have no imagination, and people outside the media decide that what is shown in the media must be the "IDEAL VIEW OF BEAUTY".\n\nBut it's BS.  What you see in on TV is the lowest common denominator, not the ideal.  Make-up?  They are designed to appeal to women's concept of what they want to look at when they look in the mirror.  Models?  My Mom told me that she wouldn't buy something that made the model look fat.  Models are chosen to make clothes look good so that clothes sell, not on any ideal of beauty.\n\nEven suggesting that there is a beauty "ideal" is limiting.  That says that there is only one way to be beautiful.  And you and I know that isn't true at all.
386547
There are certain genetic characteristics related to each race. This just happens to be a dominant trait with black women, but of course there are exceptions. Every race has a variety of body types
450485
I actually just read an article written by a black woman about how she was tired of men assuming she was just some big-lipped, big-butt sex object.  Whenever guys payed her compliments (especially white males) it usually had something to do with how they were "into her chocolate love" or "wanted a black girl to boss them around in bed" or something else racist and degrading.  She wished people could just tell her something nice without pointing out that she was black.  How about we just compliment people for who they are and forget their skin-color-stereostypes?  There are millions of nice things that can be said of all women, and each woman is different -- they are all beatifully and wonderfully made; they are individuals.
987559
The main reason is pure ignorance of the black culture.  Plus the negative stereotypes of black men ie (thugs, dope dealers, etc) from medias such as newspapers, tv and music.
1066815
I think there are real black girls in videos, they're just not in front.  Girls with mixed ethnic heritages are just more exotic looking, which is probably a big selling point.  You can't really argue that, as far as I'm concerned.  \n\nLook at people like Alicia Keyes, Vanessa Williams, Mya, Sade, et. al., they're all multi-racial, and exotic looking in their own ways.  They are some of the most beautiful black women I've ever seen.  Not to say that there aren't pretty "regular" black girls too, I only hang out with "dimes," so I know they exist.  I just think they've got different ideas about how they wanna make their place in the world.
696667
Actually, a large percentage of Latinas are mixed with Black.  Hello?  Either way, we all have "Flava" and curves!  LOL!\n\nHawkthree, the skin lightening is to lighten blemishes.  Black women come in so many different colors that many have no reason to lighten the skin.  Wherever we are, we can find man who prefers whatever kind of chocolate his heart desires (and yes, we come in white chocolate too, lol!)
817512
Just guessing, but I would say that is because black writers aren't writing those scripts and if they are they are chosing not to write for black actresses. Of course, it might also be Black actresses don't want to have those roles for reason's of nudity.