To this day I believe the main reason I did not get accepted into Howard University is because I was darker than a paper bag.  This was a practice used years ago to keep darker-skinned students from being admitted.

These days Hollywood and the media have another test they use to tell everyone what is the acceptable skin tone for black women.  If you're complexion is like Cicely Tyson's, you are doomed unless they can figure out a clever way to lighten your skin so you don't appear to look like a mammy. 

That brings me to Gabourey Sidibe's photo on the cover of Elle Magazine.  She looks considerably lighter there than she does in other photos we've seen. 

"Gabby's cover was not retouched any more or less than the others," said Elle in a statement. "

So they do, in fact, admit to doing some re-touching.

Even in television commercials we see, what appears to be biracially mixed girls and women, while it seems perfectly acceptable to see a dark-skinned man.

I'm trying to figure out whatever happened to "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud!"