Dark Girls

Documentary exploring the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color---particularly dark skinned women, outside of and within the Black American culture.

This film is produced and directed by Bill Duke, perhaps best known for his acting roles in such films as "Predator". Great to see him moving into other areas of cinema.

This is possibly the first time I have heard of the "paper bag test" determining who was beautiful and smart. Perhaps the most interesting part is not the white against black aspects but the light against dark parts. Racism is well-documented, but we rarely hear about the racism within the black community.

I was also not aware of the skin bleaching phenomenon, either here or in Africa. Why? Nor had I heard "darker the berry, sweeter the juice", though it comes up more than once, so it must be a saying well known somewhere.

I freely admit to being ignorant to many things that affect the black community. This documentary may be the first step of a long journey.

The Dark Girls documentary that premiered on OWN was quite the loaded conversation. The film looked to explore the biases and attitudes towards darker skinned women, asking people within the Black community and out of it, their feelings on women with a darker skin tone.

I know this may be an issue most people do not like to discuss. On the other hand, I believe it should be discussed. Many men and women believe that being black is not being seen as beautiful. I believe that is bullsh*t! All people are beautiful and should be seen in a positive light. To all the individuals who say, "I do not like black men or women", and then add the stereotypes onto it. I think you should really get a good history lesson, and think about what you are saying.

The only reason dark skinned men and women are seen negatively, is because when European people enslaved Africans and brainwashed them into thinking they are nothing. They brainwashed them into believing they are not beautiful, they should not be viewed as beautiful, and the lighter your complexion the "better" you are. That mind set has been passed down generation after generation, and I am glad this documentary came out. I personally enjoy all the colors, shapes, sizes, and tones of the rainbow. I do not dare limit myself to the beautiful world around me.

That being said, this is a very good documentary for ALL people. This documentary is smart, informative, sad yet uplifting at times, and makes you want to appreciate all people. This is not just a documentary for dark girls. However, men, women, and children of all races. The most compelling scenes are of women discussing their own childhoods, full of subtle (and not) indications that darker-skinned people are less attractive, and lovable than fairer-skinned ones. Duke and Berry could have made a whole film using more, and more in-depth, interviews like these. Some of the women here might be surprised how many of the men actually prefer darker women, but men on both ends of the spectrum have interesting things to say.

I really wish we make progress as a society, and change a majority of what we consider to be beautiful.

So these are my final Bitchin' Buddha thoughts on the documentary Dark Girls. I believe it is the type of documentary that can literally change the world if more people know about it, consider viewing it, and overall learn from it. I believe documentaries like this should be viewed in school, with parents or guardians, and viewed by as many people as possible. I believe Dark Girls earns a…

10 out of 10!

This review is brought to you by Boogie Buddha, and remember don't just get down, but get Boogie. Thank you all for reading, and or viewing, and I hope you all have an amazing day and night as always. :)

"Dark Girls" is actually quite an interesting documentary.

Through close examination, "Dark Girls" looks at the phenomenon known as "colorism".

This whole aspect delves into the discrimination based on the lightness and darkness of skin within one's own ethnic or racial group.

Women of color in America and other parts of the world are all taken into consideration.

planktonrules says this is the type of film wishes s/he wishes they could "force children and teens to watch," and I wholeheartedly agree. I *will* be showing this film to my (college-level) literature classes in the near future. My primarily white students need to see this because they desperately need to see and hear people of color (in particular black folk in this film) as complex, deeply human humans, and my students of color need to see people like them/more like them, to hear their voices, recognize themselves, for their experiences to be legitimized on screen.

This film interviews a variety of people--black men, white men, and especially "dark girls" of every complexion and body type, not shying away the uncomfortable and complicated facets of skin color, especially in the US, but also globally.

I love documentaries and they're among my favorite types of films. However, among the documentaries there are two types that really stand out for me—ones that have a strong emotional impact and those who are pushing for some sort of positive change. You'll see BOTH in Dark Girls —an exceptional film from D. Channsin Berry and Bill Duke.

Dark Girls is a film about a worldwide phenomenon—the notion that the lighter the skin the better or more beautiful the person supposedly is. In particular, it focuses on black women—women who have been traditionally devalued because of insane perceptions by the prevailing culture. The roots of this nonsense are investigated by the film as well as how prevalent it is in most cultures around the globe. However, most of the film is made up of interviews—mostly with black women but black men, whites and Asians as well. Why so many different types of people? It's because apparently every group, to some extent, has bought into this superficial notion. By far the most hard-hitting of these interviews are by beautiful black women and girls who grew up hating their color and themselves simply because of nature—and this is where the Kleenex will probably come in handy. Seeing and hearing all these accomplished and lovely people who have despised their darker pigments is tough to watch without becoming at least a little misty-eyed. I just wanted to hug them all and tell them they were beautiful—and I am sure you'll also feel that way as you watch.

Of all the documentaries I've recently seen, this is one that I wish I could force children and teens to watch. Then they, too, can see how cosmetic manufacturers, television and the culture STILL promote a notion that lighter is more beautiful instead of character being what makes someone beautiful. I know I'm sounding like I'm on a soapbox here —so I'll wrap it up quickly. The bottom line is that the film is very well made, intelligent and hard-hitting. And, if you want to see it, try Netflix—where it is currently streaming.