Colorist Microaggressions and Brown Asian Americans: Implications for Behavioral Science

This article examines the manifestation of colorism toward Brown Asians through Microaggression Theory. Colorism has been defined as a stratification system based on skin tone, where those with the lightest skin tones are granted the most privileges, whereas those with the darkest are granted the least. Colorism impacts Asian Americans across domains, including education, employment, family relations, body image, and marital prospects. Brown Asians are particularly vulnerable to colorism and associated behaviors, as evidenced by the fact that South Asian countries house the largest skin bleaching markets. However, due to the historical aggregation of data on Asian American groups, research has traditionally focused on lighter-skinned East Asians, and experiences of darker-skinned Asians (i.e., South and Southeast Asians) remain largely obscured. This article describes the historical obscuring of colorism within Asian and American communities and utilizes Microaggression Theory to describe the potential manifestation of colorism toward Brown Asian communities. We propose five themes of colorist microaggressions Brown Asians may experience: (a) Invisibility & Exclusion, and Authenticity (b) Assumptions of Beauty and Desirability, (c) Assumptions of Inferior Status or Intellect, (d) Assumptions of Deviance and Criminality, and (e) Internalized Microaggressions. Furthermore, we discuss additional considerations in studies of Brown Asian experiences, including cultural, historical, and ethnic heterogeneity, intersectionality, and experiences within organizations and institutions.