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ESL forum > Ask for help > Help: Question about skin color/complexion    

Help: Question about skin color/complexion



Missvanity
Costa Rica

Help: Question about skin color/complexion
 
Hello teachers. I will teach to my students physical appearance and I want to teach them the skin color, but I �m confused with some of the terms.
 For example if someone is fair, does that person needs to have light hair and pale skin? or can someone who has pale skin  and dark hair be also fair?
Besides that, if I �ll describe an African America, can I say "he is black"? or do I have to say "He has dark skin"?
 
I would appreciate if you could help me :)

14 Jun 2013      





miguefenix7
Costa Rica

1) A person with pale skin and dark hair is also fair

2) You better don�t say black people, it�s offensive. Dark skin is more acceptable

Hope it works for ya!!

14 Jun 2013     



Enid Stella
South Africa

If a person has dark hair and pale skin I would make the distintion clear by using �fair complexion �. You could also use �fair hair � to describe the hair. What about someone with a dark complexion and fair hair? Mmmmm ....... I wonder!

15 Jun 2013     



cunliffe
United Kingdom

Be careful of describing someone as �fair� as it can mean he or she makes good decisions, so it�s a character trait. If you do say someone is �fair� and you mean in appearance, then they should have fair hair as well as fair skin. You can have someone with black hair and very pale, almost porcelain skin, (a great look), but you need to specify that.

�Black � is in no way offensive, absolutely not. A black person is black. If you say someone has dark skin, that is relative. This is emphatically not how we describe Black people. 

Hope this helps.

15 Jun 2013     



spinney
United Kingdom

Cunliffe is right. "Black" is fine. Ask any black English teacher and they will tell you the same. However, if anybody mentions my ginger hair ....

15 Jun 2013     



cunliffe
United Kingdom

Aw Spinney, you �re a ginger bonce! Bless! I have a ginger son, so I am immune from accusations of gingerism. 

15 Jun 2013     



spinney
United Kingdom

A ginger son, eh? We gingers have a habit of popping up unexpectedly in the family bloodline once in a while. I stand out like a sore thumb in my family. And so does my (favorite) niece. Handshake

15 Jun 2013     



maryse pey�
France

By the way Lynne and Spinney there is a very famous Ginger we all love ... Ginger Rogers !!!
Lol ! And one of my friends is ginger and very very intelligent and she is a... teacher like us !
 
So hugs to all the gingers, so dear, in the world !
 
Maryse.

15 Jun 2013     



ldthemagicman
United Kingdom

In the UK, there are many black teachers and black students.
 
I know lots of ladies and gentlemen who are black.
 
By the way, Spinney, I had a lovely ginger cat once.  His name was "Gingey Bonce".
 
I have actually spent an afternoon and had lunch with the famous (and lovely) Lynne �Cunliffe �.  If her son is only half as good-looking as his Mum, he must have film-star looks.
 
Les  

15 Jun 2013     



cunliffe
United Kingdom

Les, you smooth-talking charmer! You have cheered me up no end.Clap Didn �t we have fun? Your wit and charm are legendary, sir.

Spinney - we don �t know where out ginger son came from, not even the milkman was ginger!Wink

Now then, I �ve got no fewer than three ginger cats! It �s nice for us to have a ginger pride thread on here. 

15 Jun 2013     



spinney
United Kingdom

Well, if it �s ginger pride we are talking about, I suspect you may have seen this but it has me rolling on the floor every time:



15 Jun 2013