Is fair lovely?: A cross-cultural comparison of the impact of colorism on mental health in South Asian women

Colorism, a preference for lighter skin tones within and between racial or ethnic groups, impacts many non-White communities, especially those with a history of colonization (Rondilla & Spickard, 2007). I aimed to extend upon perceptions of colorism by exploring the intensity and frequency of colorism messages and how it affects the mental well-being of South Asian women in the U.S. and South Asia. Using Objectification Theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), I hypothesized that these messages are associated with self-objectification processes (e.g., skin tone surveillance, skin color satisfaction, internalization of skin color beauty ideals) predicting skin-lightening product use. Results of my structural equation model with South Asian women, as well as implications for interventions and clinical practice, will be discussed.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Khan, Shyla S

Contributors dc:contributor

• Walker, Ruth V.
• Deepak, Pratibha; Michael, Jaclyn
• College of Arts and Sciences

• Colorism--Psychological aspects
• Skin--Social aspects
• South Asia--Civilization--Western influences
• South Asian American women--Mental health

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/999

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2191