About "nude" colored pantyhose.

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The past few days I've been shopping around in the craft stores looking for felt that's colored like human skin for some handmade doll's I'm working on, and it's been hard to find the right shade. I know there used to be "flesh" colored fabric, paints and even crayons but they either stopped making it or changed the name since it was politically incorrect and flesh comes in many colors.
That's all fine and good except when I can't find the color formally known as flesh (peach? beige?) anywhere and I need it or my dolls won't look "right" (I'm sorry if this sounds racist, but if I want to make a "black" doll I don't have nearly as much trouble finding shades of brown felt). So anyway, what I want to know is this... why do women's pantyhose, bras and underwear that come in the color "nude" still look Caucasian? Why wouldn't they change the name to make it not sound racist? Whoever "they" are?

Probably because they don't care, or no one's ever called them out on it.

I think you can get pantyhose up to a dark tan colour. But yeah, I see your point; if a dark skinned person needs a dark skin coloured bra under a certain piece of clothing (say a white dress or something), they're stuffed as they can only get beige/nude/whatever

Whenever I go to buy makeup, I realize just how privileged I am to be white. (In other ways too, obviously, but...)
Where the heck is the "skin color" coverup and foundation for black girls? The darkest colors I've seen are a milky coffee color. Where's the milk chocolate, the dark chocolate, and the coffee bean tones? Not to mention things like bandaids and pantyhose... Racism is so pervasive it even rears its ugly head in consumer goods!

i've noticed the uk is far better at this now. my favourite make-up brand is one targeted at darker skin and is available in a popular high-street store. and the brand i use for foundation (one of the few that go pale enough and don't make me orange) also goes up to quite a dark shade now.
I don't think it's racism at all. People native to the uk were mostly white in the past and i imagine the majority of the population still is (not actually sure of this). so obviously products would have been developed with the majority in mind, for reasons of profit not racism. they didn't make bandaids that colour to exclude dark-skinned people, they made them that colour to sell bandaids:/. It's like how you never used to see those shops that sell hair products and extensions and stuff for black women- now they are everywhere because demographics have changed and there is demand.

anyway, OP reminded me of this photo which i posted elsewhere


but yeah, i don't think the fact that 'they' call that specific shade of underwear 'nude' is racist. i hate that word being thrown around. i'm caucasian and it doesn't match my skin colour either. i think they just picked a median skintone- again, i imagine, due to monetary reasons...

"Racism" is a term that is often appropriately applied to a system of group privilege based on race (which is what we're talking about).

making plasters in a particular colour is racism?

Yes. There's overt racism ("no blacks allowed") and then there's subversive, invisible racism. That's things like all black women in media having relaxed hair (or the loose-curl fro) because typical kinky black hair is arbitrarily deemed "unattractive." And making a product for the majority while alienating a customer demographic. It's not like a company that makes darker bandaids wouldn't be able to sell those bandaids. Making light skinned bandaids has little if anything to do with profit, and all the more to do with status quo.

Of course, not all racism is equal. You seem to be reacting to the word "racism" in particular, when racism is a spectrum as broad as autism (to make a really lame metaphor)

I was going to say...what about us pasty freaks?!

We should make our own company selling pasty freak plasters, tights and foundation.

i think that's nonsense. no matter what colour you make bandaids, there will be many people's skin they don't match. does that mean bandaids are intrinsically racist:/

I have green skin. No makeup looks natural on me, not makeup for white women, not makeup for black women. I guess I have to look for makeup made for Mediterranean types...

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Hahahahaha! Close. Especially in the dead of winter, people think I'm sick. That's how green (light olive) my skin gets!

When it comes to makeup, shades named "nude" are not as explicitly politically incorrect as compared to calling it flesh. so it seems like many companies still use the term but instead they try to incorporate many shades of nude such as light nude, dark nude, etc etc. Bra shopping is a different story though. I do feel privileged to be light skinned. It's easier to find "nude" colored lingerie that is a close match to my skin tone. Even though they are not named nude, many lcompanies do have lingerie that suit darker skin tones.

If you can find it, look for a light pink under foundation toner. I have very reddish skin so I use a light green one. The toner I use is a cream and it's actually light lipstick colored pink. You put it all over your face with a sponge, lightly. Yes, you will look ridiculous. I look like my face is covered in avacado with just the toner on. Your's will make you look sunburned. Get eyelids and lips as well with it. Blend it VERY GOOD. It's more important to blend toner than it is to blend foundation really. Then put your foundation over it. Use a foundation from the same line, made to use over toner.

I have always wanted olive skin, but mine is very light and kind of red blotchy looking. I tan very quickly and darkly, but it's a bronze tan, that looks tan, like California Girl type tan. I've always liked the Mediterranian olive tan better but there aren't tanning products to help you tan to a certain shade. There should be.

As for the flesh pantyhose, it's not racism really. The nude pantyhose that I buy wouldn't be nude on a black lady. That's not racism. The woman on the package is white. There are packages of pantyhose with black women on them with nude pantyhose and other tones for their skin color as well.

Most of the foundation makeup brands are geared for white women. There are some geared for black women. There may be more geared at black women, but there aren't that many in the drugstore or Wal Mart. Most of the black women I know get their stuff from a beauty supply store. There are places that have products for all races, and places that have products for only black women. My friend Ella's daughter owns a beauty supply place that only stocks products for black women. There are makeup lines marketed directly at black women. The foundations don't work on white women, just like most foundations in the lines that I use wouldn't work on a black woman. Same with powder. Blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, etc, those work on anyone, depending on your skin tone and if you are a warm or cool. Hair products are obviously different because white hair and black hair is very different.

Thanks for this, OliveOilMom! I have no idea what toner is , guess that's my next Google!

I thought toner was astringent-like so I don't get how it would have color. Interesting new thing for me to learn!

I always wanted to have that tawny kind of tan like you get, but I get the olive-y tan. It looks right on me, though, so no complaints.