Can you spot the glaring problem in this AP story about last night's state dinner? First lady Michelle Obama chose to wear a gleaming silver-sequined, flesh-colored gown Tuesday night to the first state dinner held by her husband's administration. She was tending to her hostess duties in a strapless silhouette with the beads forming an abstract floral pattern that was custom-made by Naeem Khan.Hey, AP? Crayola got the memo back in 1962--using flesh as a synonym for white or light-colored is, well, racist. Sociological Images pulled together a collection of ads that trade on this same assumption--the default skin tone color is white. As Lisa wrote, "Part of the privilege of being white is having a society that considers you the norm and is, therefore, organized around you." --Phoebe Connelly(AP Photo)
