Brown is Beautiful: Colorism in the Latinx Community—Mariant Solorzano (2024)

Infographic

Neutral tone infographic reads: Title: Brown is Beautiful: Colorism in the Latinx Community Header: Defining Colorism. Colorism is form of discrimination based on an individual’s skin color gradient within a certain ethnic group. In the Latinx community, there is a sense of favoritism towards a lighter skin complexion over a dark one. Colorism is taught from an early age, it is transgenerational. Generation after generation continue to nurture the seed of colorism based on colorist ideology, white superiority. Older members of the community are unresponsive on the matter of colorism, they are in plain denial. Colorism does not exist, rather it is deemed as a joking matter. Children are subjected to learn from the adults around them and that is how colorism continues to spread through generations. Header: Media: Media primarily showcases Latinx individuals with lighter skin complexions in a glorified light while those with darker skin complexion are shunned to the public (Chavez). Adults and children alike consume media that they can either relate or not relate to on some scale. It creates insecurities. Header: Beauty Standards: The beauty standard nurtures colorism. There is an internal desire for Eurocentric facial features and lighter skin complexions in the Latinx community. The youth are subjected to think less of themselves if they do not fit the beauty standard. “Beauty [is not] brown - beauty is white” (Solorzano).

Second image for "Brown is Beautiful" Infographic. Header: Judicial Effects: The judicial system has been impacted because of colorism. Much of the discrimination in the judicial system can be related to the beauty standard on what is perceived to be socially acceptable. The aspect of colorism has strained the relationship Latino’s have with the judicial system. Header: Psychological Effects: Subheader: Children's Mental Health: Children’s vulnerable mental state can be contaminated by colorism. It can potentially be engraved that colorism is acceptable when in reality it is not. Children affected by colorism grow up insecure, anxious, even depressed at times due to a low self-esteem. Subheader: Historical Trauma: Grandparent, parents, and children alike are face-to face with the consequences of the historical trauma that was left behind from previous generations. Colorism stems from the history of segregation and discrimination. It is a sort of psychological trauma. Subheader: Family Relationships: Families are at potential risk to collapse because of the tension colorism creates in households. It psychologically effects families perception of what is right and wrong. A repeated cycle of colorism can create strained relationships between family members. Header: Racial Socialization: Racial socialization is a step forward to eliminating colorism in the Latinx community. It is defined as, “a set of overt and covert behaviors parents use.. to psychologically prepare children for success in a racially stratified American society” (qtd. in Gastelum). Racial socialization provides proper awareness to colorism, as it acts as a buffer. Adults are required to be self-aware in order for racial socialization to be as effective as it can be. A sense of pridefulness should be taught of oneself no matter what skin tone a person may be. Racial socialization can make a difference; brown is just as beautiful as white.

Brown is Beautiful Remediated Argument by Mariant Solorzano PDF Version

A Note From the Instructor—Joe Squance

There were several things that I thought Mariant did exceptionally well in her remediation project and primary among those is that it treats the topic at hand with real delicacy. It’s informational and the whole thing feels measured in tone but resolute. In addition, I thought she used color in a very smart way that was aesthetically pleasing but also made sense thematically. We spent a lot of time in class talking about length (How long is too long?) and content (What is the ideal ratio of text to image?), and I think her choices here were right on the money: her infographic hits all the major points of her RBPA but does so with efficiency and style, going so far as to seamlessly incorporate her sources into the graphic in order to avoid a large block of cited sources at the bottom. Overall, I found it elegant and effective.

Writer’s Reflection

My remediation project was about my research-based proposal argument, colorism in the Latinx community. In my proposal, I argued about the causes and consequences of colorism in the community, as well as solutions that could be implemented, for example, racial socialization. My initial plan was to create something short and simple for my remediation, however, over time I came to the realization that it would be difficult to successfully explain the complexity of my proposal through only one or two sentences. I exclusively handpicked information I deemed the most crucial to get my point across and created a brief but detailed summarization of my proposal. This shortened version turned out to be 2 pages, while the entirety of my RBPA was originally eight pages long. My remediation offers its readers a visual representation of the material, as well as a “quick” read-through that keeps the reader engaged.

Before the actual construction of my remediation, I examined various sorts of examples. I looked at different versions of layouts, for example, flowcharts, recipes, and even game-like versions. However, I was particularly intrigued by an infographic example that was presented in class. I found it rather inspiring and applicable to my own proposal. The simple but informative condensation was just enough to inspire me as an audience member to take action. I wanted to do something similar for my proposal, something that would move my audience into action. Specifically, my target audience was the Latinx community in its entirety. I had to go about the remediation process thinking about what would catch my audience’s attention. In order to start the creative processes, I had to select a program that would ease any constraints. Canva was the route I went because the platform offered a selection of free templates, images, fonts, colors, etc. I could easily adapt my skills and experience into my final project.

I created the template for my remediation from the ground base. I previously chose a skin-care template to be the foundation for my project, however, it turned out to not be free. I had to start from scratch, but in all honesty, it benefited me in the long run. Before, I felt like I had to limit my color choices to a certain country in the Latinx community, but after starting over again from scratch, I could see a clearer version of my remediation. I selected neutral colors, specifically brown gradients. The brown gradients applied to what my proposal was about, colorism, the preference for a certain skin color gradient. I found my project to consist of kairos, colorism being transgenerational, pathos, the negative effects it has created, possibly logos, and ethos. Through these rhetorical appeals, I wanted my audience to expect an intellectually and aesthetically appealing composition. I wanted to create a sense of familiarity and not something that would make my audience turn away.  This medium appeals to the visualization of my proposal, something I personally feel was lacking in my argument. However, I did find it rather challenging selecting specific examples for this medium to include. I doubted whether or not the visual representation I included would connect with the information I was condensing. However, through peer review, I got the confirmation that I needed.

Peer review gave me insight to an audience reaction, even if it was not necessarily my intended audience, the Latinx community. I particularly enjoyed what others had to say in regards to my topic and how they could apply it to other communities besides the Latinx community. I was informed that perhaps my project was a bit wordy, but was not overly wordy to the point it was unreadable. I was even reminded to add my sources for the following quotes I included. I grew a deeper comprehension of what a young adult audience particularly finds relatively appealing and what was unintriguing. Based on the feedback I received, I considered reducing the amount of writing I had for each bubble, however, I decided against it because I knew I would have trouble condensing the information even more and still making sense. I could take away a lot from the overall composition process and the peer review portion of this project.

I had to expand my horizons by thinking creatively. I was given free range to explore a wide selection of possible ideas. I settled on building my own infographic from the ground up using the newfound information I gathered in class on the creative process necessary for the project. I personally feel that my project will in fact impact my community’s desire for change. It is a relative subject that is being addressed by the younger generation. My community is face-to-face with the consequences that have built up over the years and it has become apparent that the root of it all comes down to colorist ideology that has been passed down through countless generations. This project allowed my understanding of multimodal composition to play an active role in my proposal. Further down the road, I know this project will help construct future projects that require breaking down information. I found this project relatively engaging because it allowed me to use my artistic abilities. I am quite fond of what I created with the short amount of time we had.