Describe the role of race in Skin and how it influence Sandra’s sense of identity. How does race affect how other characters perceive her?

The film Skin, directed by Anthony Fabian, underscores the overwhelming role of race in South Africa during the racially divisive era of apartheid. The film charts the journey of Sandra Laing, a black woman born into a white family who seeks to establish her own identity. While Sandra is at first oblivious to her race or skin colour, by the end of the film it is clear that she cannot find acceptance in the black or white societies because of the preconceptions and prejudices held by those around her.

Initially, Sandra does not view her race as a determinant of her identity. Early on in the film, she states that she is “not black”. This statement is not intended to be a racial statement, but rather a socialized statement. At this point in time, Sandra’s identity has not been formed according to race – she is simply being who she is. This idea is accentuated by the fact that Sandra possesses a white doll, suggesting to the audience that Sandra does not see herself as being different to the white doll. Sandra identifies herself with those around her, not by the colour of her skin.

The overt racism which Sandra experiences in boarding school establishes the powerlessness and confusion she regularly feels later throughout her life. It is here in which she is explicitly judged for the first time in the narrative. Sandra’s skin colour and implied race quickly turns her into a ‘kaffir’ in the eyes of the students. The teachers openly beat her because she is considered a black person in a white school. When those in school see Sandra, they understand that she is ‘different’, and this allows them to define who they are. Sandra’s existence presents a threat to their sense of power and identity and thus must be excluded. Similarly, when Sandra wishes to buy a dress, she cannot enter the store even though by this stage she is considered legally white. It is hence clear that skin colour plays an enormous role in determining identity in South Africa for both white people and black people.

Sandra’s parents make futile attempts to try and set her up with young white boys. In a white café, one date states that “you don’t have to feel bad about looking like a coloured”, indicating that he acknowledges her skin colour but is unwilling to let it bother him. Despite this, Sandra still believes that she is constantly being judged according to her implied race and is visibly uncomfortable in the white café. Sandra feels so unwelcome and embarrassed in such an environment that she resorts to escape by climbing out the café’s bathroom window. This demonstrates that for Sandra, her identity in society is more important to her than a relationship with someone who does not care about her race. Hence her consciousness of her skin colour and its role in South Africa is influencing her behaviour, as she is only able to see herself through her socially constructed identity – that is, a young black woman among white people.

Furthermore, many of the young men assume she is willing to sleep with them due to the colour of her skin. This preconception is linked to the notion that black women were considered sexual property of white men. Dismissing her family, education and upbringing, these young men – and by implication the rest of the white society – can only see Sandra as a black woman and thus treat her like one. Sandra is being invariably defined according to others.

Sandra feels a greater sense of security once she leaves her family to become part of the black world of South Africa. However, her developing sense of acceptance is condemned and weakened by her husband, Petrus. Petrus claims that “in her head she’s still white’, indicating that Sandra cannot fully belong among those who she looks like. Even though she appears to be a black person, her socialized behaviour seems too similar to that of a white person. It is suggested that this is one of the reasons Petrus mistreats Sandra. Just as Sandra was excluded from the school with white students, she is excluded by Petrus, and by extension the black world, as she represents something that they are not. Skin demonstrates that race plays a highly influential role in the establishment of one’s identity. Constantly being judged and excluded, Sandra is unable to belong in white or black societies. Due to the way she is perceived by others on the basis of the colour of her skin and her socialized behaviour, Sandra ultimately unable to define her own identity.