MovieChat Forums > Coming to America (1988) Discussion > Was this movie guilty of colorism toward...

Was this movie guilty of colorism towards black women?

posted 4 years ago by TMC-4 (20123)
11 replies | jump to latest

Or more specifically, Lisa and her sister Patrice? I never really thought about it too much until I came across this discussion:
https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/thandie-newton-was-almost-in-2000s-charlies-angels-but-dropped-out-after-a-racist-conversation.3693074/page-3#post-59946105

Basically, Lisa, the lighter skinned McDowell sister was seen as classy, refined, and more desirable. While Patrice, the darker skinned sister, was depicted as being "ratchet" and promiscuous.

[–] strntz (12225) 4 years ago

There's a 50/50 chance that Lisa would be lighter than Lisa (I know that it's 50/50 in my family as it is in every black family with an even number of people in it). In any case, I think Allison Dean was then and still is gorgeous:

https://cdn.idolbirthdays.net/medias/profile/201704/allison-dean.jpg

In addition, the ultimate female, the one hand chosen for Akeem, happened to be darker than Lisa. I present the gorgeous Vanessa Bell:

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/vanessa-bell-calloway.jpg?w=630&h=383&crop=1

[–] Ace_Spade (9544) 4 years ago

Maybe?

It's impossible to tell.

I think with this movie, it's healthier to just focus on the fact that it's hilarious and insightful, and not worry about racism - especially in a mostly-black cast film from the late '80s.

[–] Fonz (638) 4 years ago

I thought they were both hot and I liked Patrice better of the two.

[–] Godchild21 (33) 4 years ago

I thought so too....like the darker women get the left overs....the crumbs from the lighter skinned women

[–] liscarkat (18373) 4 years ago

What a load of bullshit. It's a silly comedy. It's not guilty of anything.

[–] VanHellion (655) 2 years ago

Right? hurrrrr durrrrrr CoLoRiZiNg... get a grip. Her character was written as a promiscuous ratchet - what the fuck was she supposed to be? Scarlett Witch?

[–] TMC-4 (20123) 4 years ago

Vanessa Bell Calloway believes her skin tone affected ‘Coming to America’ casting

https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/vanessa-bell-calloway-believes-her-skin-tone-affected-%E2%80%98coming-to-america%E2%80%99-casting.4403955/

Calloway — who played the role of Imani Izzi in 1988’s “Coming to America,” the beautiful woman originally meant to marry Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem — says she originally auditioned for the lead female role of Lisa, played by Shari Headley, and believes her complexion played a role in not getting the part.

“When you have white people hiring black people in movies, sometimes a certain look is wanted,” Calloway, 67, tells Page Six. Calloway got the impression that the film’s team “wanted a light-skinned girl. I just wasn’t light enough, even though Eddie had the final say on who played Lisa.”

She continued, “That’s something that we’ve always dealt with within our race: A lot of men were indoctrinated by having a white woman or light-skinned woman on their arm.”

“The real deal is, when you’re in a situation like that, you wanna be a part of an Eddie Murphy movie. I wasn’t gonna say no! I would’ve loved to have had the lead part, but I was very happy to be in the movie. I can’t lie about that. I said, ‘I’ll make the best out of this and I’ll be the best.’ It was a smaller role but it was a glamorous part to play. And Shari did a great job.”

https://pagesix.com/2021/02/15/vanessa-bell-calloway-believes-her-skin-tone-affected-coming-to-america-casting/

[–] cyguration (3951) 4 years ago

The funny thing about it is that I only ever think about this nonsense whenever some lunatic Leftist uses divisive vernacular like "colorism" to keep dividing people along ridiculous lines to maintain chaos and hew resentment.

In fact, I was recently thinking to myself "As soon as whites are displaced as the majority in America, I imagine grifters will find some way to make blacks hate each other and portray some group of them as supremacists." Lo and behold, the ideological griftters and sociological slave drivers have found a way to get black people to call other black people racist.

Within the next 15 years, no one will be able to enjoy anything in America without being labeled as "racist!", even when minorities eventually become the majority.

[–] lemonhead1 (424) 2 years ago

Now y'all are complaining about tone? Get a life! It is a movie!

[–] TMC-4 (20123) 4 months ago

Colorism in Coming to America (1988) Explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLwEOO8BTu8