At the 2025 Skin of Color Update, a poster by lead author Sara Omari (William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine) highlighted a deeply pervasive issue: colorism, and how social media acts as its newest, most aggressive vector.
Unlike racism, which operates between different racial groups, colorism is skin tone-related discrimination that frequently occurs within the same racial or ethnic group, where lighter skin is systematically privileged and associated with beauty, status, and success. It is a deeply entrenched issue across African-American, East Asian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern cultures.
In an insightful interview, Omari broke down how modern digital spaces are reinforcing age-old biases, with devastating consequences for young patients of color. Recognizing why a patient might be asking for aggressive pigment-altering treatments allows dermatology clinicians to intervene with empathy, education, and safe, evidence-based care.
Read the interview at Next Steps in Derm.
