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Skin Color and Self-Perceptions of Immigrant and U.S.-Born Latinas

The Moderating Role of Racial Socialization and Ethnic Identity

University of California, Los Angeles, ehtelzer{at}ucla.edu

Heidie A. Vazquez Garcia

Cranston, Rhode Island

Research has increasingly identified race as a salient characteristic that affects one's life experiences and psychological well-being. However, little is known about how skin color affects the emotional health of Latinos. The present study examined how skin color relates to the self-perceptions of immigrant (N = 26) and U.S.-born (N = 55) Latina college women. Results indicate that immigrant Latina participants with darker skin tend to have poorer self-perceptions than their U.S.-born peers, including lower self-esteem, lower feelings of attractiveness, and a desire to change their skin color to be lighter. Both racial socialization and ethnic identity served to buffer Latinas from the negative self-perceptions associated with darker skin. These findings suggest that skin color may be a particularly central risk factor for immigrant Latinas' well-being, and racial socialization and ethnic identity may serve as important protective factors.

Key Words: skin color • Latino • self-perceptions • racial socialization • ethnic identity

This version was published on August 1, 2009

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 31, No. 3, 357-374 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0739986309336913


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