colorism
Etymology
From color + -ism.
colorism means Prejudice or bias against persons on the basis of their skin color or complexion, often among persons of the same racial identification. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 92 out of 100.
Why this word is great
COLORISM — [Noun] Prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on the lightness or darkness of their skin color, often occurring within the same racial or ethnic group. From color (in the sense "skin complexion") + the suffix -ism (denoting a practice, system, or doctrine). Unlike "racism" (which constructs a hierarchy between externally defined groups) or "pigmentocracy" (which names the formalized social structure such biases create), colorism is the intimate, corrosive calculus of worth measured in melanin. It is the family elder’s praise for the "fair" baby, the scent of bleaching cream in a shared bathroom, and the casting director’s ledger that reserves lead roles for lighter faces—a quiet, inherited violence proving the most enduring hierarchies are those we are taught to carry within.
noun
- Prejudice or bias against persons on the basis of their skin color or complexion, often among persons of the same racial identification.“Black America used to be, and perhaps still is, a pigmentocracy, which means that the social hierarchy is based largely on colorism.”
- A style of painting characterised by the use of intense color.“Turner's colorism with its cosmic world view had nothing to do with realism, in spite of its impasto handling of colour. […] Turner's images are based on the far-sighted and purely objective views of the 18th century which he imbued with new meaning through his colorism based on colour theory and plein-air painting.”