In the United States, colorism got its start in the system of racial hierarchy created by European colonialism.

Since 1983, the definition of colorism has been expanded and refined to account for the sociopolitical and cultural meanings attached to different skin colors. In 1983 Walker finally gave colorism a name and a voice, and “marked it as an evil that must be stopped in order for African Americans to progress as a people” (Tharps 2016). Since slavery, Black Americans have demonstrated a preference for light skin, but this was an implicit, unspoken, but unquestioned phenomena. Walker defined colorism as prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color. In her 1983 book In Search of Our Mothers Gardens, author and activist Alice Walker became the first person to use colorism in print. If you try looking up the word “colorism” in a mainstream dictionary like Merriam Webster’s, it’s likely it won’t be listed, because technically colorism isn’t an official word.

To better understand Pecola’s struggle, a firm grasp on the nuances of colorism is required, and to that end a brief overview of it is provided below. For Pecola, fighting the colorism of her community proves too great a task, and her mind fractures under the pressure. In a society that prizes white skin, light skin, and “high-yellow” girls like Maureen Peal, finding beauty in oneself is a deep challenge. One source of Pecola’s debilitating sense of ugliness is her dark skin.

Maureen peal the bluest eye