“I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people could accept. I was their daydream. I had the worst kind of acceptance because it was never for how great I was or what I contributed — it was because of the way I looked.” — Lena Horne

Now with Horne’s quote in mind, try this at home: Watch several MTV, VH1 or BET music videos and shows such as “America’s Next Top Model” or “The Miss USA Pageant.” Look for African American women in those programs. What do you see? What do you not see? There is a strong possibility that you will primarily see women who have light skin and other features that conform to European beauty standards.

In the African-American community, lighter skin has always been preferred over darker skin. That preference can be traced back to the antebellum United States. During slavery, there were two types of slaves: house slaves and field slaves. The lighter-skinned slaves made up the majority of the house slave population. Their duties involved housekeeping, cooking and taking care of the master’s family. Often they were literally part of that family. They were the “illegitimate” offspring of white male slaveowners and black female slaves. Light skin represented power and influence, and that representation would continue into the 20th century.

The darker-skinned slaves, who worked in the fields, were treated more harshly than the house slaves and did not possess the power and influence of their house slave counterparts. The field slaves’ duties were more tedious than the house slaves’ duties. The field slaves were forced to work on the plantations for long hours underneath the scorching sun.

It was a situation that, in the years following the abolition of slavery, would result in what is known as “the color complex.” The conflict, within the African-American community, is over skin color gradations. Current beauty standards in the United States have created a culture focused on the unachievable. For American women in general, and African-American women in particular, that focus too often has resulted in self-hatred.

Looking at music videos and mainstream models, it is obvious what type of look is highly regarded. Typically, women on television are extremely thin with light skin and long, flowing hair. People think that a size zero through four is skinny. Looking at pop-culture examples, however, any size bigger than a four or six is too big. In general, women want the Barbie-doll look. That is the unachievable culture.

Young women across the world see these thin images and go to extremes to mimic the women they idolize. Women begin to hate themselves and become anorexic or bulimic because they do not fit into the beauty standards. The more wealthy women go through numerous plastic surgeries and tummy tucks to get that ideal body. In general, women alter themselves in many ways to have the “in” look. Although they may gain beauty, they lose their identities.

The media are progressing. Blacks are slowly becoming more common in mainstream American media, and black features are becoming more popular. People are tanning for that perfect caramel complexion and getting collagen placed in their lips and hips.

While women may think they’re enhancing their beauty, they’ll soon look in the mirror, and they won’t recognize themselves anymore, physically or mentally.

As for media standards now, Barbie is still in. In the meantime, women of all colors, shapes and sizes: Embrace your beauty. Do not let the media dictate to you what is and what is not beautiful. To all black women: Black is beautiful whether you are light as ivory or dark as ebony. Embrace your natural beauty even if it is not what you see on television.