COLORISM: 90S TV SHOWS| Part 1

A look at 90s tv shows and beauty standards amongst different black actresses.
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[@DeeDaKaang1]

In my opinion Pam looked waaaaaaaay better than Gina 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@tabbypanda82]

🗣️SHE SURE IN THE FUCK DID❗️💯

[@alexisclark4270]

And did

[@SunflowerVibe329]

I think everyone felt this way

[@far6311]

Sometimes pams face was just.....ehh. especially when she got angry, her face just twisted in an attractive way. Other than that she was pretty

[@TheLovesnowangel]

Lol everyone said that

[@Zikomo7]

I used to think it was progressive how darker women like Toni from Girlfriends, Max from Living Single, etc were occasionally shown as desirable but they were still shown as unlikeable more than the lighter women. Maxine was defined by her lack of boundaries and messiness more than her professionalism. Toni was shown more as shady and materialistic than glamorous and attractive. They didn’t get as many dates or empathy as the lighter women

[@Zikomo7]

I forgot about Maya from girlfriends. Her scenes were always so pathetic.

[@sw9093]

​@@brandywine5689some light skin people think they're not black, they call themselves brown or something else.

[@sharonanderson6161]

The first Aunt Viv had a different energy than the second the second Aunt Viv has talent but she just wasn’t completely accepted by the viewing audience

[@sharonyvettewarner7458]

The first aunt Viv was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@CraftyMarieArts]

I like the first Aunt Viv the best!

[@Nille0212]

There was no Aunt Viv after the original left in my opinion. The woman who replaced her was just that: a replacement. She didn't embody the character of Aunt Viv. They should have made them divorce and given the new wife her own personality that the replacement could pull off! I think we would have accepted that better than not addressing it at all. I remember when it happened and we all were sitting there with our mouths open wondering where Aunt Viv went. 😂😂😂

[@TrulyMademoizelle]

The new Viv's character was entirely subdued but so was the actress' acting. She was flat most of the time. Basically a secondary character. Geoffrey added more to a scene than she did.

[@Millie_the_Mermaid]

The same with Disney, in the Proud Family "Dijonay Jones" (dark skin black girl) in comparison to "Penny Proud" (light skin black girl) and how their behavior was just so different could play in this discussion as well. Dijonay was portrayed with having her stomach hanging out of her clothes and being loud and outspoken; which could perpetuate the stigma of colorism which is not right at all.

[@JukuduB]

The illustrator for that show did that often in his work. Check out Bebe's kids and you will see the same foolishness.

[@therealmarlonbellamy]

Fun fact: Dijonay Jones was voiced by Karen Malina White. She was in Lean On Me, The Cosby Show, A Different World & Malcolm & Eddie.

[@chelle967]

The original aunt vivian was better to me. The newer one wasn't bad but she was kind of boring.

[@awesomestar7597]

Can we talk about how dark skin girls were desirable on family matters fresh prince star in the house

[@suprmekai5]

Remember Pam aka Tichina Arnold was originally going to be Janet from my Wife and kids but at the last minute she told Tisha Campbell her best friend about the audition then instead they picked her for the role.

[@arthurm.358]

This explains the casting of Junior and the 1st Clare who were dark skin

[@Willow-cw9te]

I could never specify why, but Martin used to rub me the wrong way when I was younger, so much so that I never watched more than a few episodes. And I realized as I got older, that it was because of the way they treated Pam or when Martin would dress up as a woman. I have the same problem with Proud family.

[@gabrielmcdonnell8699]

Sadly, colorism on and off TV is still prevalent. Potential topic for a future video: the dissection of characters of color on all Shondaland shows. There’s a few tropes in her series eg black leads must always initially be involved with a white (or non-black) co-star that need examination. Thanks. ✌🏽

[@gregoryjones9546]

The One Redeeming Episode I Remember On A Different World Was Where Charnel Brown's Character Kimberly Reese Was Upset About Being Compared To Mammy,So She Put On A Dance Performance Showing Her As An AFRICAN QUEEN/GODDESS,She Turned The Mammy Scarf Into A Crown,I Mean I Loved That!!! 👑👸🏿🌍🌄🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@DestinysChild-vn5hm]

Very well video you're right about pam and being depicted to be angry black woman because she stands up for herself even though and she was beautiful and her wardrobe on the show was a a 10🔥

[@therealmarlonbellamy]

She also called Martin out on his BS.

[@win9804]

Loved this video! I’m a light skinned dude so I don’t know if I can speak properly on this topic, but it really does seem like darker skinned women are phased out of roles in favor of lighter skinned women for some reason. Someone mentioned Claire being replaced in “My Wife and Kids” in the comments earlier, which I also believed for the longest time was messed up until I realized that the original Claire was pulled out by their parent for religious reasons. Nonetheless, the issue still persists (even absent any parental interference) and your video does a great job highlighting the issue.

[@noble604]

Judge Mablean (of Divorce Court) was replaced with Judge Lynn Toler. It was a common thing, yes.

[@chelle967]

​@@noble604judge mablean was so funny though

[@alleyinn1]

The beloved daughters and it-girls on TV were also light. Dark skinned were less "feminine", fiesty sapphires who never had or couldnt keep a man. Literally ALL of the black sitcoms in 80s and 90s followed this format. Movies were the same- House Party, Coming to America, Boomerang, and too many others to count

[@adrianmoore8316]

I have never been a person to refer to a Darkerskinnned person as being ugly. I judge by how their physical features look in appearance. A person can be Lightskinned and unattractive and a person can be Darkskinnned and unattractive and they can both be beautiful too!

[@jewelofaries]

In the 90's is when the darker complected black men became more attractive to the masses. When Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes started to appear on the big screens, globally, darker black men became the hot commodity. But it didn't spill over to the black females as much, still speaking of the masses. You had Whitney, Brandy and Naomi, who were considered the darker standards of beauty to the masses, but they were all slim and didn't look like our typical around the way girls. It may have seemed as though people favored Gina over Pam, but many men I knew in my life despised Tisha Campbell. I don't if it was because she was always suing people, but they would say she had a big head, her lips were too full and she was too light. They loved Pam though. Although Pam wasn't ghetto, she physically looked like a typical around the way girl that the masses had not gotten comfortable embracing yet.

[@CinqueMalcolm]

Tisha Campbell was never considered that attractive. Most dudes preferred Pam.

[@PenelopezA]

​@@CinqueMalcolmNot loudly and not with the same reverence given to Gina. That's the thing. Being sexxually attracted but not reveling her is a HUGE issue dark skinned bw face.

[@Circa2000s]

I remember on the show “My wife & kids” they replaced the dark skin Claire (oldest daughter) for a mixed girl!! That pissed me off sooo much 😩🙄

[@Darkstalker1012]

There’s a reason for why that happened. Apparently, the mother of the dark skin Claire wanted her removed from an episode that talked about teen pregnancy. Raven Symoné guest stars (as the pregnant friend)

[@jennan124]

Yes the mother of that girl didn’t want her to be in the series anymore

[@Circa2000s]

Oh wow, I didn’t know that! Thanks for the info y’all!! ♥️

[@kaylarogan8988]

They also did that with Junior’s wife Vanessa. Meagan good was replace with a biracial actress (btw I know Meagan isn’t darkskin, I just wanted to point out that they replace her too).

[@malbrojay4740]

The second Claire was a better fit. The original had no chemistry with the family and she looked nothing like them. Her acting wasn't good either.

[@thomasgoree7976]

Toni Childs and Whitley Gilbert were my hero/Icons when I was coming up

[@therealmarlonbellamy]

Another 90s show that displayed colorism was New York Undercover. Sandi was JC’s love interest & she was light skinned & Chantal was the mother of his son & she was dark skinned.

[@thetruesoulofanaquarius9302]

The creator of the show explained in the interview he purposely did it that way because that is how alot of bruthas did. Struggle with the darkskinned woman once they get a career/money they get a lightskinned woman.

[@amilloeans9794]

This is a very informative and interesting deep dive on colorism and racism thank you for the amazing video

[@sunflowerlightlove3891]

Great breakdown! It always saddened me to see the difference of care and fuller storylines in A Different World. Take in part Whitley, Leena, Freddie, Denise, and Dwayne's other love interest compared to Kimberely Reese, Charmaine, Jaleesa, and Gina. The later characters had real traumatic experiences and their characters weren't given grace and deeper storylines. I still adore the show and the valuable lessons learned, but that's what I've noticed over the years.

[@lucretia_macevil]

We are still dealing with the ramifications of Pam and Gina, TO THIS DAY. Every rapper says he wants a Martin and Gina kind of love.

[@christopherdieudonne]

What is that remix of the Living Single theme at the beginning of this video? It's a bop !!

[@m.s9146]

We are all victims of the one drop rule. I’m missing 1/4 of my family because they all passed and then disappeared, dangerous to go back to black identifying family after passing.

[@BooksandLooksTV]

Wow sorry to hear that I hope you find peace

[@naimamorgan6209]

Back in the day the media even tried to pit Beyonce and Kelly .

[@GossipSnob]

The INTRO is fire! Great video girly.

[@BooksandLooksTV]

Thank you. I gotta finish part 2

[@TamESQ]

In Toni’s slight defense, at least she was honest about why she didn’t want to be with, not a dark-skinned man per se, but a man darker than she is… because she didn’t want her child to face the same insecurities and mistreatments she went through. I thought that was an honest moment we don’t get a lot from black sitcoms.

[@adrianmoore8316]

I believe that there was division deliberately placed into the minority races of people by making a difference between being Lightskinned or Darkskinned to prevent them from working together and forming successful relationships which may form marriages and families among one another.

[@justhearmeout]

Paused 10 seconds in... that track is 🔥!!! Now, back to the video!😂

[@imdone5442]

very well said didnt expect the video to be over so soon cant wait for part 2

[@caramelfemale8022]

I love the opening song please tell me you have a full version of it.

[@CleanBassTV]

❤

[@BooksandLooksTV]

Look up Living Single on SoundCloud

[@cayanne3420]

As a white woman, I always find it interesting to learn about all the intricacies to racism. I only ever learned about colorism a few years back. This video was very informative, great video!

[@JAWrightonline]

From my observation, Whites practice colorism amongst themselves. They deal in HAIR color (blondes vs. brunettes). The White parallel to this conversation/topic is Chrissy vs. Janet (Three's Company), Farrah vs. Jaclyn Smith (Charlie's Angels), or Rachel vs. Monica (Friends).

[@komirtv1949]

Enjoyed watching thanks for sharing

[@t.m.kmedia1136]

Great commentary. Informative and factual. Did you create the intro music?

[@shavonneholmes5203]

I will have to disagree with the assessment of Toni choosing Todd based on his skin color. You are correct about Toni not wanting to date the dark-skin guy in that episode. Maya called her out on it and Joan asked her why she felt that way. They seemed to address it in a sense. Toni wasn’t really feeling Todd in the beginning but when he came to her aid when she was being accosted by a black man no less, then she saw him in a new light. Even Toni address issues with Todd about dating white guys who only liked her for being black. Todd himself stated he had insecurities because he was short and he was white. I agree that colorism have been in sitcoms, but I don’t feel Toni getting with Todd was one. Also, all the women on girlfriends had issues and their complexion did not play into that. If so you can argue that Joan was a pushover because she was light-skinned, or that she was treated badly by her friends because of how she looked.

[@stephenkd1]

Come on theme song!

[@BooksandLooksTV]

😂😂😂

[@stephenkd1]

Lmao 🤣

[@CleanBassTV]

Video quality amazing ❤🎉

[@jenniferray509]

Martin said that character shaneneah was based off his sister.

[@JukuduB]

That is still a disrespectful portrayal of her!!!!

[@jenniferray509]

@JukuduB I thought it was too like why would you see your sister like that or mother? I would be pissed the hell off if my son made a character about me acting like that and him being in a dress.

[@jamescarter6468]

The issue is that you’re reading a lot more into the psyche of people than is reasonably there. Tropes are (usually) based in reality and so we have an ease of character identification. Many of these shows never really had a bias one way or the other (just look at Kid n’ Play), but if we WANT to see it (and those few instances where it was confirmed), you’ll see it ya know? Darker skinned actors have been dominating for years on end and especially in 90s television. I mean look at Moesha. It also plays into certain stereotypes and tropes, but that’s a darker skin woman who is arguably propped up to be the best thing in the room no? I think 90s television was just tropey

[@noble604]

If only this were true. There were very obvious themes, yes, even agendas, running through the casting of television shows, movies and media in that era. It would take the people who were there, who lived it, to give a broader historical perspective of what actually took place and to give us more understanding of their stories to be shared.

[@thewordsmith5440]

The light skin or lighter brown skin wife on black shows was rampant think "The Cosby Show, My Wife & Kids, Martin, The 90s show called Rock, Light skin Aunt ViV. On Every Body Hates Chris the dark skin mom also played by Tchina was loud, aggressive and always yelling about her man having two jobs but I guess they at least gave her a man.

[@dionneking8]

I was named in honor of the character dionne Marie davenport of clueless portrayed by exotic actress Anastasia Lauren "stacey" dash im glad shes the first televised African American princess❤❤❤

[@JukuduB]

Stacy Dash ran from her identity as well. Her mother is Mexican and her father is a brother. Now she won't proudly claim any of it! 😐

[@adrianmoore8316]

Oh and men can be handsome or not handsome. It depends what a person finds attractive on the person.

[@La-wr5dn]

The Joan character wasn't portrayed as biracial though. Her parents were Black. But I get it, Tracee herself, in reality is biracial.

[@La-wr5dn]

Seeing as how Daphne Maxwell Reid (2nd Viv) was the original choice for the aunt Viv character and she turned it down; I don't believe colorisim was the case. There were issues between Janet and others, so when she left or was fired they offered the part again to Daphne. Janet never would've been cast in the role if they only wanted someone of a lighter complexion for that role.

[@phaedraD]

Light skinned aunt Viv wasn’t necessarily bad. The first aunt Viv was just better. I think we all jumped to conclusions about colourism, until it came about will smith got Janet fired. However I think we just differentiated the two as dark skin ams light skin aunt Viv

[@misterbee66]

Gina was finer to me. Lol.

[@cayanne3420]

As a white woman, I always find it interesting to learn about all the intricacies to racism. I only ever learned about colorism a few years back. This video was very informative, great video!

[@thatgirlkells5505]

So many layers!!!!!