Earticle

토니 모리슨의『가장 푸른 눈』은 아프리카계 미국인 공동체 내에서의 인종차별과 그 심리적 결과에 대한 강력한 비판을 제시한다. 1940년대 미국을 배경으로 하는 이 소설은 구조적 인종차별, 피부색 차별, 그리고 젠더 억압이 주변화된 개인들의 삶을 어떻게 형성하는지를 탐구한다. 페콜라 브리들러브의 비극적인 이야기를 통해 모리슨은 지배적인 백인 중심의 미의 기준이 흑인 개인들에게 내면화된 열등감을 어떻게 만들어내는지를 보여준다. 본 논문은『가장 푸른 눈』에서의 차별을 사회 구조이자 심리적 상태로서 분석한다. 또한 인종차별과 피부색 차별이 정체성 형성, 가족 관계, 그리고 공동체 역학에 어떤 영향을 미치는지를 고찰한다. 이 연구는 인종, 젠더, 계급의 교차성이 소설 속 흑인 여성들의 경험을 형성하는 방식도 탐구한다. 페콜라, 폴린, 촐리, 클라우디아와 같은 인물들에 대한 분석을 통해, 본 논문은 차별이 개인의 심리뿐만 아니라 집단적 사회 구조에도 영향을 미치는 복합적 체계로 기능함을 주장한다. 이 소설은 내면화된 인종차별의 파괴적 결과를 드러내는 동시에, 문화적 인식과 비판적 성찰을 통해 저항의 가능성 또한 제시한다. 궁극적으로 『가장 푸른 눈』은 차별이 정체성을 형성하는 방식을 드러내며, 억압적 사회 이데올로기에 도전하는 것의 중요성을 강조한다.

Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye presents a powerful critique of racial discrimination and its psychological consequences within African American communities. Set in the United States during the 1940s, the novel examines how systemic racism, colorism, and gender oppression shape the lives of marginalized individuals. Through the tragic story of Pecola Breedlove, Morrison demonstrates how dominant cultural standards of beauty and whiteness produce internalized feelings of inferiority among Black individuals. This paper analyzes discrimination in The Bluest Eye as both a social structure and a psychological condition. It examines how racism and colorism influence identity formation, family relationships, and community dynamics. The study also explores the intersection of race, gender, and class in shaping the experiences of Black women in the novel. By analyzing Morrison’s portrayal of characters such as Pecola, Pauline, Cholly, and Claudia, the paper argues that discrimination functions as a complex system that affects both individual psychology and collective social structures. While the novel exposes the destructive consequences of internalized racism, it also suggests the possibility of resistance through cultural awareness and critical reflection. Ultimately, The Bluest Eye reveals how discrimination shapes identity and emphasizes the importance of challenging oppressive social ideologies.

previous studies have found the presence of colorism, especially a bias toward fair-skinned women in India’s newspaper matrimonial advertisements where fair-complexioned women are considered more beautiful than those with a darker skin complexion. Most matrimonial advertisements in newspapers are posted by family elders such as parents of prospective brides. This study explored if the rise of online matrimonial portals has empowered marginalized members of families such as prospective brides by giving them greater access to, and control over, posting matrimonial ads, and whether who posts these ads has made a difference to how women are projected in the online ads. Textual analysis of 150 online matrimonial ads indicated that younger women such as would-be brides posted more ads in online media, compared to older family members. Further, irrespective of who posted the ads, there was less overt focus on physical attributes of women such as fairness of skin, but colorism was present in more subtle forms. Finally, the online ads posted by both prospective brides, and their parents, were unable to entirely break free from shackles of socially constructed patriarchal norms where women’s physical attributes such as fair skin are considered critical qualities. Findings were consistent with the tenets of Critical Race Theory that colorism is an ingrained feature of social systems and is constantly negotiated based on a group’s own social interests.

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast Wallace Thurman’s The Blacker the Berry (1929) and Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child (2015) in terms of colorism, child abuse, and the recovery of womanhood. In spite of their differences of gender, period of their life, and their writing style, Thurman and Morrison share remarkable similarities. They are keenly concerned with the critique of racist American society, finding ways to improve the social condition for black people. I argue that the following are similarities between the two novels. First, Emma Lou in The Blacker the Berry and Bride in God Help the Child are the hapless victims of colorism in the American society. Secondly, the two novels make poignant critique of child abuse. Thirdly, the two female protagonists recover their womanhood and maturity after confronting colorism, child abuse, and their encounter with men. On the other hand, the following are differences between the two novels. First, while Emma Lou continuously feels low self-esteem due to her dark skin, Bride takes pride in her blackness. Secondly, while Emma Lou’s mother does not give serious attention to her daughter, Bride’s mother tries to communicate with her daughter at the novel’s end. Third, while Emma Lou did not have close friends or a lover, Bride has a lover and a child as well as a good friend. In conclusion, the two novels show important messages to the readers: Though colorism is caused by white supremacy, it brings about serious problems in the black community when colorism is continuously internalized among the black people. Toni Morrison, who is a female writer, seems to emphasize the importance of motherhood and the healing process more than Wallace Thurman.

This paper tries to diagnose Korean university students’ perception of color culture/colorism(anticolorism) based on skin color. It is the goal and challenge of this study to research multicultural capability/perception, value of life, identity, equality consciousness associated with color-coded culture. Throughout history, we have created the story and image of color. The way we perceive varieties of color has become the way we view the world. It is not only the story of colors/color culture but also the story of the power relationship of whiteness. The image and symbolism of color can vary depending on the context of culture and circumstances. A better understanding of shade of race/color helps facilitate recognizing prejudice and discrimination in color-coded culture of colorism in society. Colorism, one of the recurring themes throughout the history of the human race should not be represented and practiced in Korean society as it has been in skin color stratification associated with imperialism and white nationalism. For a better culture capability to deal with the multicultural diversity and deconstruct colorism(pigmentocracy), this study researches and diagnoses the main cause and effect of colorism(anticolorism). The data for discussing the perception of colorism among Korean university students was accumulated through questionnaires conducted with 631 university students between September and December 2016. Korean university students ages 19-25 each answered ten questions as follows: Perception of colorism and racism (questions 1-2), perception of their own skin color and preference (questions 3-7), presence of discrimination by color and direct/indirect experience (questions 8-9), existence of colorism and main causes (question10). It is hoped that this research will help bring attention to the need for more research on colorism as a measure for multicultural capabilities and education on the subject for Korean university students facing muticultural society.

본 연구는 K-뷰티산업의 피부색주의(colorism)를 문제화하고 관찰한다. 피부색주의란 피부색에 의거해 나타나는 차별을 의미하는 것으로, 한국 사회의 경우 미백의 이상화된 피부를 정점으로 하여 형성되는 위계의 담론에서 발견된다. 그리고 이 담론은 ‘K-뷰티’라는 명칭을 통해 구축된 미디어-뷰티 복합체를 통해 해외 수용자들에게 매개되고 있다. 흠결 없고 하얀 피부를 지닌 한국 스타의 신체가 동아시아를 중심으로 새로운 미의 모델로 유통됨에 따라 K-뷰티는 특정한 규범과 위계를 생산한다. 이러한 글로벌 미디어-뷰티 정경 내에서의 K-뷰티의 문화적 의미와 권력의 측면을 탐구하기 위해 본 연구는 K-뷰티와 관련한 온라인 자료를 관찰하고 동남아시아 국가의 K-뷰티 수용자들을 대상으로 표적집단면접(FGI)을 수행했다. 해외 K-뷰티 수용 국가 및 수용자들에게 한국은 ‘미백의 나라’로 인식되고 있으며, 서구의 모델을 대체하는 친근한 아름다움의 모델을 제공하고 있다. 그러나 한편으로 본 연구는 K-뷰티가 초국적 상품으로 유통되는 과정에서 피부색주의적 위계를 생산하고 있음을 발견하고 이를 비판적 시선으로 분석하고자 한다. K-뷰티는 한국 스타가 지닌 신체의 배타성을 통해, 동북아시아와 동남아시아 간의 위계 형성 통해, 그리고 인종적으로 타자화된 다른 신체에 대한 배척을 통해 제국적인 권력을 드러낸다. 우선 K-뷰티의 주요한 매개자인 K-팝 아이돌이 지닌 시각적 배타성은 피부색주의적인 양상으로 드러난다. 또한 동남아시아에서 생산되고 있는 유사 K-뷰티 제품들은 동북아시아를 이상적 미의 모델로 만들며 그 과정을 통해 동북아시아와 동남아시아 사이의 미의 위계를 생산 및 재생산한다. 마지막으로 살펴본 흑인 K-뷰티 유튜버들은 K-뷰티산업이 표방하는 다양성 및 포함성이 얼마나 제한적인가를 보여 준다. 이로써 ‘K’라는 표상의 힘이 강력하게 작동하는 K-뷰티의 영역은 특정한 피부색을 지닌 인종‧종족에게 배타적인 영토를 확보하려 함을 발견할 수 있다. 본 연구는 이러한 관찰을 바탕으로 그동안 한국 사회에서 간과되었던 인종과 종족, 피부색의 문제에 대한 감수성의 필요성을 주장한다.

While K-Beauty is globally recognized as a burgeoning industry, this study explores and analyzes the colorism of the K-Beauty industry. Colorism, or discrimination based on skin colors, can be found in the discourse of hierarchies formed by the culmination of idealized skin called ‘mibaek’ in Korean society. And K-Beauty industry which is the Korean media-beauty complex mediates this discourse to overseas audiences. As the imagery of impeccably fair skin of Korean stars is epitomized as a new beauty model in East Asia, K-Beauty produces new norms and hierarchies that require critical exploration. What cultural significance does K-beauty have in the global media-beauty scene? And what hegemonic power does it exert? In order to answer these questions, this study explored various images and texts on K-beauty online and conducted focus group interviews in Thailand and Vietnam. The findings reveal that Korea is being perceived as a ‘country of white skin’ by overseas K-Beauty consumers. In particular, K-beauty provides Southeast Asian people with an attainable beauty model or relatable ideal, replacing Westernized beauty norms. However, on the other hand, colorism is produced in the process of K-beauty being circulated as a transnational product, and this study aims to provide a critical perspective on this. K-Beauty reveals its imperial power through the exclusivity of Korean stars’ bodies, the formation of a hierarchy between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, and its barrier to racially otherized bodies. First of all, K-pop idols who are the main mediators of K-beauty mostly conform to a specific visuality. This implies the confined Koreanness of K-beauty, which is not free from colorism as it excludes other racial visualities. Second, several quasi-K-beauty products in Southeast Asian countries regards the Northeastern look as a beauty model, highlighting a lighter complexion. And this produces and reproduces the hierarchy between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. Lastly, this study pays attention to black beauty YouTubers who have tried K-beauty make-up. Their content and perceptions of some audiences reveal that the diversity and inclusivity of the K-beauty industry is highly limited or nothing more than a marketing rhetoric. As such, in the realm of K-Beauty, where the ‘K’ strongly signifies a certain power related to nationalism, it tries to secure a territory exclusive to a specific skin color. Based on all these findings, this study argues for the necessity of cultivating sensitivity to the matter of race, ethnicity, and skin color that have long been overlooked in Korean society, and suggests further inquiries for Korean media studies.