The Debate Over Olandria and Lupita Shows How Colorism Warps Who Is Considered Beautiful

The article uses recent online debates about Olandria Carthen and actress Lupita Nyong’o to highlight how colorism distorts perceptions of beauty, explaining that dismissive comments about both women’s looks—like tweets claiming Olandria is only praised because of her complexion and TikTok criticism of Lupita’s attractiveness—reflect a broader societal bias that elevates Eurocentric standards and undervalues dark‑skinned Black women’s features; defenders of Olandria’s style and elegance argue that backlash to her visibility underscores how deeply internalized colorism can blind people to diverse expressions of beauty and reinforce harmful hierarchies within and outside Black communities.