I just always figured black kids wanted to be “light black” in the same way that white girls tan to be as “dark white” as possible.
Maybe it comes from anchoring, and everybody wants to shift to the middle and away from extremes, or maybe girls are just being superficial girls (and some vain guys follow along as society becomes more and more effeminate).
You've got it right. Anyone who grew up going to the beach knows. As a teen, we would burn ourselves to a crisp just to build up a "good tan". I was just telling my son about it the other day as we were passing a tanning salon. Being naturally tan, he didn't know what it was. There are tons of tanning products at the drugstores, too.
I disagree with asking children these questions and putting them on film for the world to see. But, I wonder what "white" children who grew up near a beach would've pointed to: If they'd shown them drawings of people of different shades in bathing suits, there's no doubt they'd all point to dark tan as the most desirable shade.