Khloe Kardashian's Daughter True Thompson Is Already Enduring Colorism as an Infant

Khloe Kardashian's Daughter True Thompson Is Already Enduring Colorism as an Infant

In this op-ed, writer Amira Rasool explores the impact of colorism on dark skin black women of all ages, including children like Khloe Kardashian's daughter True Thompson.

This week when Kim Kardashian shared a group photo of her daughter Chicago, and her two nieces Stormi and True, no one could have imagined the social media firestorm it would cause. The precious photo, shared on Instagram and Twitter Friday with the caption "The Triplets," instantly received thousands of responses on social media, many of which criticized True Thompson, the child of Khloe Kardashian and NBA player Tristian Thompson, for her darker skin complexion. The vicious attacks on True's skin tone sparked an important conversation about the toxic realities of colorism.

Colorism perpetuates the same Eurocentric philosophies of racism that have helped oppress darker skin people around the world for centuries. Colorist ideas suggest the closer a person's skin color is to white, the more attractive they are, and the more deserving they are to rank higher in political, social, and economic hierarchies. Darker skin black women have long been on the receiving end of colorism's most negative consequences. Dark skin black women have faced criticism because their skin complexion appeared "too dark", a trait too often associated with unattractiveness. I can personally recall hiding from the sun during tropical family vacations or long stints at sleep-away camp out of fear that, upon returning to school, students would point out my darker appearance. At just 10-years-old, I was limiting my experiences and enjoyment based on negative unconscious ideas prompted by colorism.

Films like 2011's Dark Girls and millennial talk shows like The Grapevine have expertly highlighted many of the complexities associated with colorism, which range from dark skin women developing serious self-esteem issues due to their mistreatment, and between-race conflict amongst lighter skin black women and darker skin black women. Commentators shared stories of being told "you're pretty for a dark skin girl" and "I don't date dark skin women", sentiments that I and many of other black women have heard from black and non-black people since childhood.

Despite the fact that all three of the Kardashian-Jenner babies are mixed-race with black fathers and white mothers, upon scrolling through the comments left beneath Kim’s Friday afternoon tweet, the attention directed at True, the youngest and darkest of the trio, was overwhelmingly negative. One Twitter user responded to the pic stressing her disappointment in True’s skin color: “I hate that True is so dark, the other two are a nice mix....she’s a cute kid just too dark”. Another user ranked the children according to the best looking, with the list ending with the darkest: “Chicago is first cutest kid of the bunch..Stormi is second and True is third BUT they are ALL beautiful”. Hundreds of other comments under the picture took direct aim at True's appearance.

Amongst the negativity, flocks of black women took to Twitter to defend True and call out the overt and covert signs of colorism disguised as simple opinions. A Twitter user who goes by the name Jessie spoke about the fetishization of lighter skin bi-racial children: “Lol @ the white people under this post calling Chicago and Stormi cute and then say ‘True looks like her dad’ That’s code for True looking more black than ‘mixed’ which is obviously a negative to people who fetishize IR relationships and mixed babies.” Jessie's comment highlighted the inconsistencies between how bi-racial children are treated, based on how black they physically appear to be (this goes for skin color, hair texture, facial features, etc.) Her comment also seems to assert the idea that interracial relationships have become a mere trend with Eurocentric-looking mixed babies serving as the ultimate accessory.

Unless familiar with the signs, colorist insults or discrimination can often go undetected and unaddressed by non-black women. While referencing the negative responses to True, activist Jamilah Lemieux brought up the serious impact colorism plays on young black women from childhood all the way into adulthood. Jamilah tweeted, "I pray they have Black/mixed women in their lives that will help them and their parents make sense of these things. Black girlhood in Kardashia sounds like a very complex thing." Jamilah's statement echoed many of the same concerns black people have vocalized for years in relation to mixed-race children. For white women raising young black girls, the complex nature of black girlhood may appear foreign and they may be unable to support them during trying times, or even recognize when support is needed.

In the case of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, who in the past has continuously dismissed and ignored comments of cultural appropriation and black exploitation, growing up as a black girl in that family, as Jamilah said, could be complicated. The colorblind "we don't see color" approach to parenting, which Kim Kardashian has championed on social media when defending accusations of racism or cultural appropriation, could be extremely dangerous and toxic for black children. By choosing to ignore color, Kim and other white women who share similar sentiments, are also choosing to ignore the unique experiences, both positive and negative, that will surely impact their black kids. In the case of True, without a black woman or mixed race women in her life properly explaining the backhanded attacks prompted by colorism, she may experience these negative feelings in isolation without the comfort of knowing other women are experiencing these same issues, and without absorbing the knowledge and solutions they could provide.

Of course, even light skin black women aren't always equipped to protect their young dark skin daughters from colorism. This was certainly the case for Mary Mary star Erica Campbell, and her daughter Krista Campbell. In an episode of their family's reality show, Krista revealed a time in 5th grade when students refused to play with her because of her skin complexion and taunted her with the derogatory phrase, "darkie". Shocked and hurt by this news, Erica eventually brought in 12-year-old Flexin In My Complexion founder Kheris Rogers, who could better relate to her daughter as a dark skin young girl who was bullied for her complexion but has since turned that negativity into a thriving brand.

As many black women can attest to, criticisms about True's darker skin complexion will not waver with age. It personally took me years of reading books by black women like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, and witnessing the rising presence of celebrities like Lupita Nyong'o and Kelly Rowland on television, before I fully embraced the beauty of being a dark skin woman (and began baking in the sun every chance I get). Although True is not yet at a point where she can understand the implications of colorism, her mother, and her aunts have passed the age where they can afford to be colorblind or dismissive of the experiences of black girlhood and black womanhood. This week's social media firestorm and the years of silence from the Kardashian-Jenner family about racial issues, suggests it may be hard for young black girls to feel comfortable growing up within a white family whose colorblindness only seeks to dismiss and not address issues of colorism.

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