Many may agree with the old adage that "beauty is only in appearance", but does beauty present itself in a particular shade of color? This issue is very controversial for many, but the fact is that human beings are born with a wide variety of skin tones. These differences in skin tone are used to classify people into different ethnic groups. Lopez proposes that “ethnic identity is a type of group identity that is linked to better outcomes because it provides a sense of belonging or cultural grounding. » (p. 102). Dr. Ronald Hall (2006) suggests that in America, minorities or people of color are called black compared to the majority who are of European descent, i.e. white. Some studies have found that “more ethnic appearance” is typically assessed by darker skin color, i.e., black, and is associated with worse life outcomes (Lopez, 2008). In contrast, beauty, wealth, and general attractiveness are associated with physiological closeness. to the white power structure, i.e. light-skinned. (Hall, 2006) It seems that desirable skin tones are culturally relative. Terrorism management theory is a motivational theory that assumes that human beings have an underlying fear of death. These feelings are managed in that person by developing or maintaining a two-part cultural anxiety buffer; an individual worldview and a sense of worth or self-worth. (Pyszczynski, Greenberg, & Solomon, 1997) According to this theory, high self-esteem reflects successful participation and internalization of a meaningful cultural worldview. (Schmeichel, Gailliot, Filardo, MrGregor, Gitter and Baumeister 2009) Goldenberg and Shakelford (2005) suggest that “the need for self-esteem is often seen as the primary motive underlying much of the paper. .....ive.Those who engage in processes such as tanning or skin bleaching do so to boost their self-esteem. From the perspective of terrorism management theory, individuals are motivated to adhere to cultural norms because it enhances self-esteem. Increased self-esteem acts as a buffer against potential anxiety regarding awareness of personal immortality. (Cox et al., 2009) TMT determines that people strive to adhere to social norms in order to cope with personal insecurity related to death. If a psychological structure provides protection against thoughts related to death, then reminding people of death will increase the need for that structure. (Goldenberg, Pyzszcsynski, Greenberg, Solomon, Kluck, & Cornwall, 2001) This study hypothesizes that as the magnitude of mortality increases, the need for an individual to change their own skin color also increases..