Robbed of representation

Hollywood’s blatant colorism

JACKIE MARQUEZ / OPINION EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Disney recently announced its live action remake of the animated classic “Lilo and Stitch.” While the movie itself was met with excitement, the film’s casting decisions have garnered mixed reactions. 

On Thursday, April 13, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Sydney Elizabeth Agudong will be playing Lilo’s older sister and guardian, Nani. In the original film, Nani is dark-skinned with black hair and strong indigenous Hawaiian features. While Agudong is of Hawaiian ancestry, the fact that she is fair-skinned and lacking indigenous features sparked criticism. 

This type of inaccurate representation isn’t uncommon in Hollywood, rather it reflects the film industry’s colorism. Colorism in film is deeply problematic, as it sets a eurocentric beauty standard, puts actors of color at a disadvantage and robs people with darker complexions of representation. Because of this, it is essential that we think critically about the media we watch. 

Oxford Languages defines colorism as “prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.” In other words, it’s a bias against people with a dark skin tone. Colorism is often confused with racism, but there is a distinction between the two. Racism is based on a person’s membership to a particular race or ethnic group, while colorism is based on the tone of a person’s skin. Also, racism is often perpetuated by members of a different race. Colorism, however, can be perpetuated by people of the same race or of a different race. 

The film industry demonstrates its colorism by filling the roles of dark-skinned characters of color with light-skinned actors. Agudong’s casting in “Lilo and Stitch” isn’t the first time a light-skinned actor has been cast as a darker-skinned character. Disney previously came under fire for its 2019 remake of “Aladdin” where Naomi Scott, a light-skinned English and Indian actress, played Jasmine. Colorism is also evident outside of Disney. In “Nina,” a 2016 biopic about American singer-songwriter Nina Simone, Zoe Saldana takes the lead. Simone was a dark-skinned black woman, Saldana is not. Broadway musical “In the Heights” also sparked controversy for its casting decisions. The musical takes place in Washington Heights, a primarily Afro-Dominican neighborhood in New York City, yet all main characters were light-skinned or white-passing. Colorism isn’t just an unfortunate occurrence in Hollywood, it’s a pattern.

The purpose of a live action movie is to reimagine fictional characters as real people, and by recasting characters that are intentionally dark-skinned as light, the industry strips away an important aspect of the character. The stories of people of color are already underrepresented in Hollywood.

According to USC, 73% of Hollywood’s characters are White, while 12% are Black, 5% are Asian, 5% are Hispanic and 4% are other races. The question, then, is why cast light actors over dark skinned actors?  Directors have justified their inaccurate casting decisions by claiming that actors with light skin were simply the most qualified   for  the  job. After being accused of colorism, Jon M. Chu, the director of “In the Heights,” responded that “we [the crew] tried to get the people who were best for those roles.” So, why are light-skinned people the best people to portray the experiences of people with dark skin? 

In whitewashing characters of color, Hollywood further limits the representation of people with dark skin. This ultimately prevents dark-skinned people of color from seeing themselves in the media they consume. After news of Agudong’s casting broke, Twitter user @MotivatedUni tweeted “Listen she’s probably a lovely woman but I can’t help but feel disappointed. I wanted Nani to look like me :(“

Her issue with the film’s casting underscores a key issue of colorism: it alienates marginalized people from the big screens. It is imperative that people of color see characters that look like them on the big screen. According to Psychology Today, positive media representation has beneficial impacts on people of marginalized groups. Positive representation can increase self-esteem, reduce stereotypes and provide validation and support.  In neglecting to provide this representation, the film industry robs dark skinned people of these benefits. 

Not only does Hollywood’s colorism  decrease representation    for   dark-skinned audiences, it also disadvantages actors of color. The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media found that “Only one-in-five of Black leading ladies from the past decade have a dark skin tone.” With few dark-skinned women being cast, light-skinned actresses often receive more roles. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Zendaya, a light-skinned black actress, explained how her skin tone has given her an advantage in the film industry. 

“I have a bit of a privilege compared to my darker sisters and brothers,” Zendaya said. “Can I honestly say that I’ve had to face the same racism and struggles as a woman with darker skin? No, I cannot. I have not walked in her shoes and that is unfair of me to say.” 

In failing to represent dark-skinned people of color, the film industry perpetuates a eurocentric beauty standard. Eurocentric beauty standards favor European features such as fair skin, straight hair and small noses. By primarily casting light-skinned people of color who meet these standards, Hollywood fails to consistently portray people of color with tightly coiled hair, dark skin and large noses as beautiful. In a 2015 interview with The Wrap, Viola Davis weighed in on how colorism in Hollywood shapes what is considered beautiful. 

“When   you   do   see   a woman of    color on screen, the paper-bag test is still very much alive and kicking,” Davis said. “That’s the whole racial aspect of colorism: If you are darker than a paper bag, then you are not sexy, you are not a woman, you shouldn’t be in the realm of anything that men should desire.” 

Although the interview happened a few years ago, Davis’s point still stands. In showing a singular form of beauty, the film industry ultimately devalues non-European features. It suggests that actors of color need to adhere to eurocentric beauty standards to be considered beautiful or worthy of being cast. 

In casting light-skinned actors to represent dark-skinned characters, Hollywood demonstrates its colorism. It ultimately robs dark-skinned audiences of accurate representation, disadvantages dark-skinned actors and perpetuates a harmful beauty standard. 

While colorism goes beyond Hollywood, the narratives shown on screen shape those around race that we see    in   the real world.   Because of this, it   is   important  to be able to  recognize   colorism in the media. When watching a   film  or  movie,  consider who   is  represented   and  who is not,  and   take   a   look   at   the kind  of roles  that   people   of    color play. Being    able  to critically evaluate   how   race   is   depicted in    our media  and   acknowledging prejudice against people with dark skin tones is the first step in countering colorism.