Browner Than Your Bag (2020)

Browner Than Your Bag (2020) is a velvet mask and photo triptych commenting on colorism through imagery influenced by the Brown Paper Bag Test. The Brown Paper Bag Test was a practice where black people who were darker than a brown paper bag were denied certain privileges than those with lighter skin. The test originated from New Orleans’ Bag Parties in the 1850s where black hosts would only allow those who passed the test to enter. However the concept can be traced back to African slavery in the United States. Plantation owners gave light skinned slaves the “privilege” of working in the house, rather than doing hard-labor in the fields. This instilling of black undesirability went from a specified time period to a systemic issue, which lead to internal conflict in black communities. The concept of the Brown Paper Bag Test and Blue Vein Societies can be found anywhere from job interviews to skin and hair care products. Browner Than Your Bag (2020) plays against white elitism by depicting a dark-toned paper bag in an appealing high-fashion magazine-grade photoshoot.