ABSTRACT
Colorism (privileging of lighter over darker skin) affects development across the lifespan. Evidence of this is enhanced by understanding color science, including the strengths and limits of past skin color rating scales and directions for future measure. This paper demonstrates this potential using the L* (lightness) dimension of L*a*b* color space. Overlaps, reversals, and gaps are identified across some scales. The degree to which color-swatch based human rating scales approximate interval metrics is also examined, and the relative variation perceived in the skin tones of photographed individuals as evaluated by raters of different race-ethnicities. Implications for future research are discussed.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.