Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to find these fb posts a bit racist?

169 replies

choochootrain1 · 30/07/2014 17:13

I have so many friends who seem to think its fine to share "black is beautiful" type posts (for the record I don't disagree and my family is mixed) however as a Caucasian woman can you imagine it going down ok if I posted a pic of a blonde haired blue eyed child with "white and proud of it"?

I'm not actually going to do anything about it, or confront anyone - it just upsets me a bit that id be shot down as a racist white supremacist for the same type of posts

OP posts:
xvxvxvxvxvxvxvxv · 30/07/2014 17:18

YABU
It's like men moaning feminism offends them.
You've got the whole beauty industry and the worlds media telling you your look is the right look, if you get upset over these fb posts you Abu.

rootypig · 30/07/2014 17:19

YABU

It's activism in the face of utter chauvinism.

And there is no such thing as 'a bit' racist Hmm.

JudysPriest · 30/07/2014 17:19

What XV said.

peanutbutterandoreos · 30/07/2014 17:20

I get what you mean. It's sad tbh that people feel they have to post that kind of stuff. I never understand why anyone would ever post anything racist on Facebook. They seem to think that it makes them look big and clever but all it does is show everyone else that they're an arse. I get people sharing Britain First status' on mine and I either tell them to fuck off (as do others) or block them. I have absolutely no time for racists.

Feminine · 30/07/2014 17:22

You are not being unreasonable not to like it. I do think they are being unreasonable *to post it.

Feminine · 30/07/2014 17:23

Oops *not think.

rootypig · 30/07/2014 17:23

Is racist, OP?

thecageisfull · 30/07/2014 17:23

It's pointless to say 'white is beautiful' you can't switch in the TV, walk out of the house or read a magazine without being given the message that white is beautiful. If you are from a group of people that for centuries have been called ugly, been told to lighten their skin to make it look caucasian i.e. beautiful or straighten their hair to look caucasian i.e. beautiful then you might get to the point where you want to say 'Fuck it, black is beautiful too and i won't conform to a narrow, westernised ideal of beauty.'

Greenwayslide · 30/07/2014 17:24

Well you have the majority of the beauty industry telling you that your beautiful. I think a few posts going against what society constantly crams down our throats is fine

YABU

Original poster
choochootrain1 · 30/07/2014 17:31

I haven't watched it all rooty, just the start - I don't think I would take offence to it or see it as a racist, just a celebration of a feature

I think my annoyance comes to the fact that it's not equal... Would anyone think it's racist if I shared a pic of red hair with "red is beautiful?" Probably not.

Would they think I'm racist if I shared a "white and proud?" Image... Probably

I must have missed it if the media tells everyone that ''my" look is the right one as these days it's all hair dye and fake tan - I think whoever you are the media wants you to be someone else's look, but aren't we just keeping racism alive by allowing double standards to be so acceptable?

OP posts:
enormouse · 30/07/2014 17:43

This is a product my (Indian) mum used for years. A lot of women of her generation were told that fair skin is more attractive than dark.

It's still on sale now. Which is quite depressing.

AIBU to find these fb posts a bit racist?
WhatsMyAgeAgain · 30/07/2014 17:48

Come on. Everywhere you look in the media, Caucasian, slim, delicate features. This is what we are all being told is beautiful. Just look through any magazine, watch any Hollywood film, just open your eyes!

Now look at Beyonce. Blonder and paler with every photo shoot.

Let these girls on fb have their fun, and be proud of who they are.

Sandthorn · 30/07/2014 17:51

Enormouse, that really is depressing.

ChatEnOeuf · 30/07/2014 17:52

Why not black is beautiful too? Ignoring the fact that it is what's inside that counts

Original poster
choochootrain1 · 30/07/2014 17:52

Enormouse I was aware that people bleached their skin (some of my friends do) but wasn't aware that people were told to do it because it's more attractive (in my generation) I suppose I assumed that was a thing of the past in the UK. I thought the few friends I have that chose to do it did it as a personal preference much the same way as I sometimes fake tan... (all came to the UK as adults having started bleaching in their own countries)

OP posts:
PetulaGordino · 30/07/2014 17:54

you're in the position of privilege here so tread lightly

Original poster
choochootrain1 · 30/07/2014 17:55

Chatenouf... See that sort of post id "like" I think black is beautiful, as is every other colour of skin.

OP posts:
Original poster
choochootrain1 · 30/07/2014 18:00

I don't think anyone shouldn't be proud of who they are, or celebrate it. But it's not exactly PC for someone to say white is beautiful...whereas it is to say black is. Surely both are just as valid colours to be? If Beyoncé is getting lighter (I prob don't pay much attention to the media by the sounds of things) then I'm sure that white celebs are getting darker also??

OP posts:
enormouse · 30/07/2014 18:01

Oh yeah. I think it's still a pervading thought in Asian women. My mum/aunts/gran would describe people's attractiveness on how fair they are. "X is beautiful. So fair and she has green eyes".

If you look in magazines like Asian woman/bride or even to Bollywood, the models and actresses are very fair and I would hazard a guess that the majority are mixed race.

thecageisfull · 30/07/2014 18:01

People in many other countries are still presented with a westernised ideal of beauty as the gold standard. When I left Hong Kong 10 years ago it was still common to bleach your skin and lots of normal brands of moisturiser would have 'whitening' written on them in the way that in the UK they uniformly have something about 'younger looking' or UV protection. Miss Hong Kong contestants are uniformly pale skinned. Colonialism and slavery have cast a long shadow.

RunnerHasbeen · 30/07/2014 18:02

You would be okay to say that very pale skin is beautiful as well. The trouble with commenting from the position of the historically powerful side of a division is that it condones the terrible history. For example, gay people were never anti heterosexual, never denied rights to or attacked people for being straight. Therefore being proud of being gay doesn't have the connotation or history to make it an offensive stance. Skin colour is the same, too many horrific people have said white is best that you are essentially joining them.

tweetypot · 30/07/2014 18:07

I think it's misleading and inappropriate for anyone to imply that any particular trait is generally beautiful.

This is because some people look better with darker skin, others look better with paler skin. It's such a subjective and individual thing.

Anyone I saw on FB posting that kind of superficial crap would just get an eye-roll from me. There are more fun and/or important things to support.

Original poster
choochootrain1 · 30/07/2014 18:10

In light of that Enormouse and cageisfull I suppose I understand it a bit better, if I had older relatives telling me beauty was based on shade of skin or eye colour as a culturally accepted thing by our community id likely be posting the status' myself.

I guess I'm a product of the "all are equal even pink with green spots" generation, none of my relatives have ever implied anything was better re skin colour.

OP posts:
Pastperfect · 30/07/2014 18:13

enormouse one of the things that ^reallyY pisses me off is that the bodyshop have been selling a wide range of whitening products for years. It's so bloody hypocritical

Pastperfect · 30/07/2014 18:14

Oh an OP YABU -