The “Dark Girls” documentary that premiered on OWN over the weekend 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.
Must Read: Light Skin Vs. Dark Skin… Who Created This Argument?
As with most live television, I hopped on Twitter to join in the conversation that was bubbling up under the #DarkGirls hashtag. What I found was shocking. Twitter users mostly used the hashtag for good, but there were a few violators who took it upon themselves to open up a personal dialogue that completely muddled the original purpose of “Dark Girls.”
“Dark Girls is a fascinating and controversial documentary film that goes underneath the surface to explore the prejudices that dark-skinned women face throughout the world. It explores the roots of classism, racism and the lack of self-esteem within a segment of cultures that span from America to the most remote corners of the globe. Women share their personal stories, touching on deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes of society, while allowing generations to heal as they learn to love themselves for who they are.”
While I believe the documentary was a success is perpetuating a heavy conversation, I do believe it missed the mark for many viewers. Here’s how.
1. Rants & Raves
Unfortunately because Twitter is an open forum, there’s no policing what tweets show up while using particular hashtags and phrases. The abuse of the phrase, “Dark Girls” was almost sickening.
https://twitter.com/OhMrMonroe/status/349170900005961728
https://twitter.com/MamaMeiaa/status/349161094322995200
https://twitter.com/mastersongko/status/349147941333790720
2. Misunderstanding The Point Of A Documentary
There were a lot of disappointed people on Twitter. I can’t be sure, but I would have to assume that they thought this film was going to be the great big answer to the rhetorical question the documentary asks, “Are dark skinned girls able to love themselves despite the attitudes of society?” This documentary was merely here to start and/or continue the conversation, it was not offering a solution to this ever-growing problem.
