As meself said: "...mentioned only when it's one extreme or the other - you might hear "dark complected" (or "dark complexion)" or "really, really white skin..."

I think it is probably because the shade of a white person's skin is not important to another white person- historically as long as the person is clearly identifiable to the other person's mind as 'white'.

I can only imagine the state of mind of a person whose color or shade of skin is crucial in establishing his or her role in mainstream society.

As it happens, in my family there are quite a few African-American members- I just realized that in all cases they are male, I wonder if the reception would be different toward a female? I hope not - and they range in shade from mellow tan to very dark indeed. The children's shades also vary widely; in one case the brother is pale, the girl is dark. Both are gorgeous.

The next generations are the ones that give me hope. Their culture will inevitably be different from ours but we are the ones who set it in motion.