Understanding the Co-Occurrence of Colorism and Ethnic-Racial Identity among Latinx Adolescents

Abstract

A salient aspect of identity for youth of color is ethnic-racial identity (ERI), a complex and multidimensional construct that is generally defined as the attitudes, thoughts, and feelings one has regarding their ethnic/racial group membership, as well as the processes of developing these beliefs over time. Adolescence is an important period of ERI development for youth, yet little work has explored the role of colorism on these identity processes. Colorism is a larger system of oppression and stratification in which lighter skin individuals are privileged over darker skin individuals. Youth of color develop and come to terms with their sense of self in the context of these systems of oppression; thus, when understanding their ERI development, it is important examine the role of colorism on these processes. Through a critical race theory and developmental lens, the current study explored the ways in which ERI, skin tone, and skin tone satisfaction co-occurred with one another among Latinx adolescents (N = 287), and the role of gender and generational status in configurations of identity. Latent profile analyses were used to identify five unique profiles of ERI and colorism: Foreclosed, High Regard, & Satisfied (n = 128); Achieved, High Regard, & Satisfied (n = 86); Diffused, High Regard, & Moderately Satisfied (n = 44), Moderately Diffused, Moderate Regard, & Moderately Satisfied (n = 21); Moderately Diffused, Low Regard, & Moderately Satisfied (n = 8). Gender and generational status did not relate to profile membership. Overall, these profiles demonstrated that most youth exhibited relatively positive feelings toward their ERI and skin tone, suggesting that youth are making meaning of their appearance and identities in relatively positive ways despite growing up within larger systems of racial oppression. This study provides novel contributions to our understanding of Latinx ERI development in the US that can help inform future research and future intervention work aimed at promoting ERI development among youth.