Media Stereotypes and “Coconut” Colorism: Latino Denigration Vis-à-Vis Dark Skin

Abstract

By stereotype media images, Latina(o)s interact with various Eurocentric elements of the dominant population, which results in a form of discrimination called colorism. Colorism is a partiality for light skin tones and the devaluing of dark skin. Coconut is colloquial reference to a Latina(o) population. As it pertains to media images, health status, empirical evidence, and judicial evidence, the devaluation of dark skin is a vehicle of coconut colorism. The influence of media forces motivated by somatic assimilation paradigms has extended this phenomenon, not irrelevant to the discriminatory experiences encountered by Latina(o) populations. As equal members of an oppressed minority group citizenry, Latina(o)s must be held to a higher standard of social justice activism. By virtue of their enthusiastic participation colorism can then be eliminated such that the future of humanity may be rescued from the transgressions of a postcolonial environment.