※觀看影片前，請先點選YouTube右下角齒輪，並選擇開啟中文字幕，謝謝！ ※本影片之英中翻譯為 ICLP學生喬露 (Elise Huerta) 於孫雅玲老師指導「影片翻譯」課程中之作品。 D組女孩的自白：膚色歧視與全球的美麗標準 | 奇卡歐克羅 | TED在斯坦福 斯坦福商學院研究生奇卡歐克羅表示 “如果你長得跟我很像，你大概已經對膚色歧視習以為常了。” 她描述了一個現象叫做膚色歧視，就是歧視膚色比較黑的人，並說這 “跟種族主義一樣邪惡，一樣隱約又微妙。” 在大家都追求淺色皮膚、淺色眼睛以及“真的”長髮的世界裡，歐克羅告訴我們她怎麼應付社會的偏見，也告訴我們怎麼擺脫根深蒂固的想法。奇卡歐克羅是斯坦福商學院二年級的企管碩士研究生。她熱衷於宣揚種族平等和性別平等，也很期待讓大家更瞭解全球有色女性面對的眾多問題。 《沖出康普頓》上映了，我好興奮哦！我是從 LA 來的，所以這部電影特別貼近我的心。我在電影院看了三次，在網上讀所有跟這部電影有關的訊息， 我還找到了當時的選角廣告。雖然這部電影已經上映了, 而且我也不是演員，所以我並不會參加試鏡，我只是在想，假如我去的話，我會得到哪個角色？ 我看著選角廣告上的角色類別說明。最上面是A組女孩，選角廣告這麼寫著：“性感中的性感，最性感的模特兒，頭髮得是真的，不准接發。”因為我有20寸的巴西式接發，所以我不符合資格。好，沒關係。 接下去：B組女孩，選角廣告這麼寫著：“美女，有自然長髮，膚色偏白，碧昂斯是代表人物。皮膚要偏淺？也不是我，然後我想：連碧昂斯也不符合A組的標準。好，沒關係。 我接著看：C 組女孩。選角廣告這麼寫著：“非裔美國人，可以接發，膚色中等偏淺。”那，也許以前我住在波士頓時，冬天的時候我可能算是 “中等膚色”，但是我回到了晴朗的加州，只要我有空，就去曬太陽，現在絕對不是中等膚色。 所以我繼續往下看，最後一組：D 組女孩，選角廣告這麼寫著：“非裔美國人，貧窮，身材不好，膚色深黑。”膚色要深黑，那就是我了。D 組女孩。 一開始，我有一種被背叛的感覺。每年只有極少數電影，黑人影星可以成為主演。真的是極少數的機會，觀眾可以在電影裡看到長得跟我很像的演員，覺得我們很厲害，很美麗，大家很羡慕。所以我感到被背叛了，難道在這些小群體中，我也不能覺得自己很美？我感覺我被那些所謂的優點排擠：淺色的皮膚，淺色的眼睛，自然柔軟的長髮。 可是我越想越沒有背叛的感覺，一種更熟悉的感覺取而代之：本來就是如此。因為在我的世界裡，這個現象太熟悉了，就跟種族主義一樣邪惡，一樣隱約又微妙：膚色歧視，就是歧視膚色比較黑的人。一般來說，發生在同一種族或民族之間。 在美國，膚色歧視源自奴隸制度，眾多非洲女奴隸被白種男性主人強暴，生下了一代混血的奴隸孩子。這些奴隸孩子是主人的親戚，長得比一般的奴隸更像安格魯人，因此有特別待遇，可以在房子裡做家務，不像其他工作那麼辛苦。但是膚色比較黑的奴隸卻被強迫在農地上做更辛苦的事，即使奴隸制度廢除了以後，白人還繼續讓混血黑人擁有特殊待遇，給他們更好的工作、教育、和住房的機會。 奇怪的是，甚至在黑人的群體中，黑人也會以膚色和五官來歧視對方，姐妹會、兄弟會、和精英的社會團體只允許有安格魯特徵的黑人參加，他們會進行一系列的考試看你符不符合標準。“棕色紙袋” 考試是大家都耳熟能詳的，你的皮膚如果比棕色紙袋淺，你就通過了！但是你如果比棕色紙袋更黑的話，你就被淘汰了；“鉛筆考試”也很有名，他們會拿一支筆梳頭發，如果頭髮夠直，鉛筆就不會被卡住；最後一個叫身影考試，他們會用手電筒照著你的側面再看牆上的投影，如果跟白人的側影很像的話，那就沒問題，但是如果不像的話，那就再見了。 現在，雖然這些陋規已不復見了，但是其影響至今猶存。還記得，中學和高中我常收到一種 “讚美”，多數是黑人男性對我說：“哇，你好漂亮！對膚色深黑的女孩來說。 讓這個問題更嚴重的是媒體繼續推崇淺膚色。有色演員照片上的膚色一定會經過修圖，才能登上雜誌封面。就像這一張，還有這張，這張，甚至這張。 膚色歧視不限於美國，它的影響範圍遍及全球，最清楚的證據就是全球風行的美白霜和漂白霜，僅僅在印度和亞洲，皮膚美白和皮膚漂白就是一個數十億元的行業，雖然這些產品中含有毒性物質，但是人們還願意冒險使用，為了呈現盲從的美麗，大量的美容產品反映了這個事實。有名的品牌“凡士林” 甚至跟臉書合作，推出了一個APP，可以讓個人資料照片的膚色變淺，為了宣傳他們的美白霜。再說，在亞洲旅遊的時候，鋪天蓋地的美白廣告跟你保證：只要你變白一點點，你就會得到幸福和成功。 研究顯示，小時候所看到的訊息對我們有深遠影響。2010年，CNN做了一個研究，訪問了5、6、和7歲的孩子，讓他們以膚色來判斷價值和特點，讓我們看看那個研究的視頻： 訪問者：她為什麼是聰明的女孩呢？ 女童：因為她皮膚白。 訪問者：好。這圖中哪個孩子最笨？（女童指出最黑的孩子）為什麼她笨？ 女童：因為她皮膚黑。 訪問者：好，指給我看哪個孩子最醜？（女童又指出最黑的孩子）她為什麼醜？ 女童：因為她皮膚黑。 訪問者：好。哪個孩子最好看？（女童指出最白的孩子）為什麼她最好看？ 女童：因為她比較白。 我們會內化小時候收到的訊息，而這會給我們留下深刻印象，這個印象就跟著我，雖然我拒絕接受，對自己說我很堅強，很聰明，我成功了，我很美麗，我在斯坦福，我不是D組女孩，但是這些東西，這些觀點跟著我，它們成為一種內在聲音，讓我產生疑問，讓我懷疑、思考：“等一下...難道我是D組女孩？” 這個疑問一直跟著我，所以現在，當人稱讚我說：“哇！你長得很好，你長得很漂亮...”那個內在聲音會把句子說完：“對膚色深黑的女孩來說。”這個聲音一直跟著我。它會讓我懷疑自己的意圖，因為雖然說我接發的目的只是因為好玩，喜歡而已，但是那個聲音說：“不！你接發是因為你想要接近一個永遠達不到的標準。” 這個聲音一直跟著我，甚至我想發一個簡單的短信時，內在的聲音告訴我，我應該感到丟臉，因為我得一路滑到最後的最後，選那個最黑的表情符號。 那個聲音一直跟著我，可是我不要它跟著我，幸好它不一定要跟著我。因為我們對美的定義，不是與生俱來的，而是學習得來的，如果學習得來的話當然也可以忘掉。在座各位，有執行長，有創始人，有行銷經理，你們有權決定社會的美麗標準，有權選出廣告模特兒和品牌代言人，所以你有機會作出不落窠臼的選擇，接收訊息的我們也扮演一個很重要的角色，因為改變的第一步就是了解問題的存在。大家現在應該更清楚了吧，用一點不同的角度來看世界，你不一定要被動地接受世俗的美麗標準，我們可以懷疑並挑戰現狀，這樣做的時候，我們就進一步擴大美麗的標準，進一步創造一個新的社會讓世界瞭解D 組女孩也很美，謝謝。 ※此次演講於TEDx會發表，其模式同於TED大會，由獨立當地社群主辦。 Confessions of a D girl: colorism and global standards of beauty | Chika Okoro | TEDxStanford This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx "If you look like me, you’re used to colorism," says Stanford Graduate Business School student Chika Okoro. She calls the phenomenon known as colorism – discrimination against those with a darker skin tone -- “both as sinister and as subtle as racism.” In a world where light skin, light eyes and long “real” hair are sought after features, Okoro tells us how she copes, and what we can do to unlearn this deep-rooted, destructive mindset. Chika Okoro is a second year MBA student at Stanford. Passionate about race and gender equality, she is excited to raise awareness about the many issues that women of color face around the world. The movie "Straight Outta Compton" comes out. I'm so excited. I'm from LA, so this movie is particularly close to my heart. I saw it in theaters three times. So I'm cruising the Internet devouring everything I can about this movie. I come across the casting call. This movie has already come out and I'm no actress, so I wouldn't actually audition, but I just wondered, hypothetically, if I did, what role would I get? I look at the casting call, I'm going down the categories, and I start at the top: the A girls. The casting call reads: "These are the hottest of the hottest, models, must have real hair, no extensions." Well, since I have 20 inches of Brazilian hair extensions on my head, doesn't quite apply to me. But that's fine. I go to the next category: the B girls. The casting call reads: "These are fine girls, long natural hair, must have light skin, Beyoncé's the prototype hit here." Light skin? Also not me. And might I add: not even Beyoncé made the cut to be an A girl. But that's fine. I go to the next category: the C girls. The casting call reads: "These are African American girls, can have extensions, must be medium to light skin toned." Now, maybe back when I lived in Boston, in the middle of the winter can I get away with being "medium skin toned," but since I've come back to sunny California where I spend all my free time baking in the sun, not so much. So I scroll all the way down to the last category: the D girls. The casting call reads: "These are African American girls, poor, not in good shape, must have a darker skin tone." A darker skin tone. Well, I guess that's me: a D girl. When I first read this, I felt betrayed. Any given year, there are just a handful of movies starring black actors and actresses, just a handful of opportunities when people can see actresses that look like me, on the big screen, and see that we are fierce and beautiful and desirable. So I felt betrayed. Not even in these small circles, I'm allowed to feel beautiful? I felt shoved aside for those more "favorable" features: light skin, light eyes, long, soft real hair. But the more I thought about it, the more the feeling of betrayal slipped away for the more familiar feeling of "that's just the way it is." Because in my world, this phenomenon is all too familiar. Something just as sinister and subtle as racism: Colorism, the discrimination of those with a darker skin tone, typically among individuals within the same racial or ethnic group. The story of colorism in the US begins with slavery. The mass rape of African slave females by white male slave masters gave birth to a cohort of mixed-race slave children. These mixed-race slaves are related to the slave masters and had more Anglo features, and were given preferential treatment and allowed to work inside the house, doing less strenuous work, as opposed to the darker skinned slaves that had to work out in the fields doing more laborious work. Even after slavery was abolished, whites still gave more preferential treatment to blacks that had more Anglo-type features, giving them better access to jobs, housing and education. The thing is, though, even within the black community, black people used skin tone and facial features to discriminate against each other. They would only allow entrance into sororities, fraternities or elite social clubs to blacks that were able to display Anglo-type features. They'd go through a series of tests to see if you fit the bill. One well-known test was the "brown paper bag" test. Where if you were lighter than a brown paper bag, you're in! But if you were darker than a brown paper bag, you're out. Another well-known test was the pencil test, where they would take a pencil and run it through your hair to make sure that it's straight enough so the pencil wouldn't get stuck. The last test was called the shadow test, where they would take a flashlight and shine it against your profile and look at the shadow that your profile made against the wall. And if it matched that of a white person's profile, you're fine. But if it didn't, you're out. Now, though these practices are no longer in effect today, the effects of them are still very much so present. I remember a common "compliment" I would often get in middle and high school, often told to me by other black males; it went to the effect of: "Oh! You're so pretty! For a dark skinned girl." And it doesn't help that the media continues to place a premium on lighter skin by retouching and photoshopping the skin of actresses of color before putting them on the cover of magazines, as can be seen here, here, here and even here. Now, colorism is not just isolated to the US, its effects are global, as best illustrated by the skin-lightening and skin-bleaching creams all over the world. In India and Asia alone, skin lightening and skin bleaching is a multi-billion dollar business. Despite the harmful toxins that are present in these products, people are still willing to take the risk and use them in order to achieve what they are led to believe is beautiful. And beauty products have flocked on this insight. One known brand, "Vaseline," even partnered with Facebook to come up with an app that would lighten the skin of you profile picture in order to promote their skin-lightening cream. And you can't travel throughout Asia without being inundated by advertising and commercials that promise happiness and success if you could just be a little bit lighter. Studies have shown that these messages that we see at a young age have a profound effect on us. In 2010, CNN did a study where they interviewed young children, just five, six, seven years old, and asked them to place values and attributes to people based on their skin tone. Here's a clip from that study: Interviewer: And why is she the smart child? Girl: Because she is white. Interviewer: OK. Show me the dumb child. (Girl points to the darkest child). And why is she the dumb child? Girl: Because she's black. Interviewer: Well, show me the ugly child. (Girl points to the darkest child again). And why is she the ugly child? Girl: Because she's black. Interviewer: Show me the good-looking child. (Girl points to the lightest child). And why is she the good-looking child? Girl: Because she's light-skinned. These messages that we see at such a young age and these messages that we internalize, they stay with us. They stayed with me. And though I denied it and blocked it out and I say I'm strong, I'm smart, I'm accomplished, I'm beautiful, I'm here at Stanford and I'm not a D girl; this stuff, these messages, they stayed with me. And they manifest in this voice that makes me question, makes me doubt and makes me think: "But wait ...am I a D girl?" It stays with me. And so now, whenever someone gives me compliment or says, "Oh! You look nice, you look pretty," the voice fills in the rest of the sentence with: "for a dark-skinned girl." It stays with me. And it makes me question my intentions, because even though I say that I have these extensions just for fun and that I like them, that voice says "No! You got them because you're trying to reach a beauty standard you can actually never obtain." It stays with me. Even as I go to send a simple text message, that voice in my head tells me that I should be embarrassed or ashamed when I scroll all the way to the end, to the last, darkest emoji. It stays with me. But I don't want it to stay with me. And the good thing is it doesn't have to. Because these beauty preferences that we have, they're not something we are born with; they're learned. And if they're learned, they can be unlearned. Among us are CEOs and co-founders, directors of marketing; you all are the arbiters of what society considers beautiful by deciding who you chose to put in your advertising or who you chose to be the face of you brand. So you have the opportunity to make the unconventional choice. And those of us that consume these messages, we play our role too. Because the first step to change is awareness. And now everyone in this room is a little more aware and will see the world just a little bit differently. And you don't have to passively accept what society tells us to think is beautiful. We can question it, and we can challenge the status quo. Because when we do, we get one step closer to broadening the standard of beauty and creating a society where the world can see that D girls are beautiful too. Thank you.
