Culture

If Storm ain’t darkskin, I don’t want her

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Storm is half African, half Black American

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Storm of X-Men is probably the first Black woman superhero I embraced. In fact, I know she is. I would watch the X-Men cartoons in the 90s and marvel (pun intended) at her presence and pristine cadence. Such a queen she is! I would try to write her speeches down after every episode because she was always dropping some knowledge. When I got older, the thought of her coming to a big screen excited me. Halle Berry was cast and while I wasn’t hating the decision, I remember not being that thrilled at the choice either. This isn’t a diss to Ms. Berry because she was kickass in John Wick and I hope she plays more action roles, but I just didn’t see her as Storm. One of the main issues I had was the way I see Storm in my head. I see Storm as a tall, dark skin woman with striking features and an unforgettable tone to her voice. Halle Berry didn’t give me that and I am not sure many could but there’s still hope. Anybody can work on their inflection and voice for a role, right? So that is something that can be worked on, too.

However, it seems to me, that casting directors and showrunners are ignoring the fact that Storm is a dark skin woman. She is African and she is dark! It’s no coincide that lighter and ambiguous looking Black women and women of color are able to land roles over their darker peers but this intentional erasure of Storm’s aesthetic is disrespectful. Even some comic book artists seem to forget that Storm is Black and want her to look mixed race for some reason. Just an FYI, Storm’s mother is African and her father is Black American. Storm doesn’t need to look light skin or look like an exotical to be appealing. Colorism ( and racism) hurts entertainment especially comics because of whiteness.

If Hollywood can’t give me a dark skin Storm, I don’t want her.

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