“But if anyone asks you’ve got a prescription
You got an addiction
Who do you think that you’re fooling?”

We are all very familiar with how this situation plays out. A person makes it big in the entertainment industry and it’s like they’ve sold their soul to the devil. It’s “wonderful”, they’re living the life, make all these new friends, new money and not forgetting the power and the attention. It can drive any grounded person to the point of insanity. What follows next is a series of bad decisions, an assortment of addictions and maybe in the most unfortunate circumstance; an overdose which leads to their death.

A life in the entertainment industry is strenuous to say the least. You’d think that since these people have made it, they can now do what they want, where they want and however they want to do it. That is how it should be right? No, not as long as society is still a motherfucker. Being in the limelight as you know, has its perks, but I would pass on them ANYDAY. Enjoying an Oreo Mc Flurry twice a week seems more glamorous to me, than purging my insides out because I need to fit into a designer dress that I don’t even own. Now since I am black, I will obviously gravitate more towards celebrities of this ethnicity; and in doing so, I will notice when they start wearing blue or green contact lenses. I will also notice when they chameleonize from a dazzling golden colour only to resemble the ghost of Christmas past. Out of all the changes I have documented, the latter always leaves me hacked.

“Seems like your heart stops working
The minute they close the curtain
And take off your mask
And take off your costume
And if anyone asks you’re taking a smoke break
Drinking some coffee
But everyone knows what you’re doing”

Colourism, according to Dr. Radhika Parameswaran, has been defined as skin colour discrimination. And to talk about it more precisely, it’s discrimination that targets dark-skinned people. It’s a form of discrimination in which dark-skinned people are seen as inferior, less beautiful, less competent, less intelligent, and less accomplished than light-skinned people. To many black celebrities the fame monster comes in the form of colourism. And what sets colourism apart from any other institutionalised form of segregation that we have or have had in the past, is that colourism works a bit like money. It exists as and has significance as long as we believe it does. The minute the people lose faith or belief in the idea, that is where it ends. For now, colourism is rife among black celebrities. They are buckling under the “pressure” and we know this because we can literally see them going paler by the season due to skin lightening treatments.

Lupita Nyongo, is amazing actress, film and music video director who has gained much media attention from her role in the film “12 Years a Slave”. Her skin is so ebony you’d think licorice and dark chocolate had a love child and made her. I was on twitter a few weeks back when I stumbled on a tweet where an individual was saying that he hoped she doesn’t turn herself into a yellow bone (through skin lightening treatment of course). At that very moment I was like “woah! how’s that for perspective” I mean, forget us worrying that the pressure to perform will get to her and drive her to some sort of substance abuse, no… we are facing an epidemic of black or dark- skinned individuals, putting themselves in harm’s way to look “more appealing” because of their internal conflict and self-hate.. I mean that is great if it makes you feel good but what message are you sending to all the young boys and girls who look up to you? And because you are now a celebrated individual, who we believe is responsible, you have to take this into consideration. I don’t worry for myself as much as I do for the younger dark- skinned individuals though. Currently, the message that is making its rounds says ” Hi, I have it all, except for the fact that I am black. I can change this though, even if I change it just a little bit, just so that I am more relatable”. To who!!!!?
I really hope Lupita does best. I’m rooting for her. I want her to go down as one of the greats who dared to live a life unfiltered. Free of Western influences.

We, as a people, need to get to the point where dark- skinned people are no longer seen as mysterious, animalistic, unique, inferior, ugly, incompetent or rare, and this will happen when more and more of us give colourism the middle finger and start (dare I say it) wearing our true skin tones out!. Seriously. I am a self-proclaimed beautiful dark skinned woman. I don’t need Instagram likes to assure me that my unfiltered photos are stunning. My favourite season is summer because I like catching a tan. I do this deliberately because nothing frustrates me more than being on the middle ground. I love when my skin glistens against the sun.

Again by all means, do you; but how painful will it be when you die and no one can identify you? I am not saying don’t look good so you can feel good or don’t turn up. All I am saying is don’t lose yourself to yourself. I think the worst feeling would be to look in the mirror and not recognise who you see. Let me tell you something. In the end you realise that it is those very “flaws” that drive you crazy, that actually set you apart, which make you who YOU are. Without them, you’re just like anyone else. You are forgettable, a copy, you have no substance and no origin. We fight ourselves so much because we don’t want to embrace who we are and what we naturally have. We hate everything that makes us different and stand out. We force ourselves to conform at the cost of our happiness and in the end, society will always trade you in for the next best thing. Rather have it drop you still knowing who Tshego is, than trying to find Tshego in the shattered pieces of your ego.

“John Doe, I just want the John I know
Once you put the drinks on hold
Maybe you could come back home
John Doe”- John Doe, B.o.B ft. Priscilla

Article by Tshego Makoe    

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