Alicia Keys and Fantasia Barrino have a lil situation in common. Both singers allegedly stepped out with a married man but apparently all similarity ends there.

One gets a huge pass for her indiscretions, while the other gets labeled with a big red scarlet letter… Why?

I knew this discussion was coming when Nancy Grace took on Fantasia’s story and launched an attack against “homewreckers.” We all were in shock & awe when Fannie’s story, although salacious, made it all the way to CNN… but what makes her case more newsworthy than Alicia Keys?

I posted my first thought on Twitter last week:

So the question remains… why Fantasia and not Alicia Keys?

As I was surfing the net last night I came across an article that compared the two and even offered a few reasons why Alicia, who’s biracial by the way, can breeze through the drama unaffected, while dark skinned Fantasia gets the beat down.

Alicia has seemingly been able to escape media scrutiny in the mainstream press, even though she reportedly was involved in a three-year affair with a married man, which ultimately resulted in the demise of the marriage.

I’m sure MaShonda, Swizz Beatz ex (pictured on the right),? can relate to Paula Cook’s desire to embarrass and humiliate her husband’s mistress.

[READ: Fantasia’s Married Boyfriend’s Wife Seeks Revenge! Reveals Sex Tape!!]

Keys became pregnant and engaged to producer Swizz Beatz while the man was separated but still legally married. The two were married only weeks after his divorce was finalized. [READ: Married: Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz – PHOTOS]

The urban media has dogged both Fantasia and Keys for their indiscretions, but mainstream media grabbed Fantasia’s story like a rabid dog while almost ignoring the illicit actions of Keys. [WATCH: Nancy Grace Goes In on Fantasia ~ VIDEO]

[Spotted: Fantasia & Her “Married” Boyfriend]

But why?? Is it because Alicia is a biracial diva from up north while Fantasia is a dark skinned chick from the south?

I ran across a post online entitled “Alicia Keys vs. Fantasia Barrino” where the author brought up this and several other reasons why Alicia gets a pass.

The first being the skin color debate:

The sad truth is, even in 2010, skin color and conventional standards of beauty play considerable roles in these real-life soap operas. Keys fits those beauty standards; Barrino does not. The message boards were brutal when Barrino played Celie on Broadway in The Color Purple; “ugly” was a common descriptor. Now, Barrino might not be a cover girl, but she is far from ugly.

I’m sure you’ve thought it as well. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that Tasia’s getting blasted for the exact same thing the lighter skinned Alicia did.

Is it a racial issue? A color issue? Maybe it’s an issue of status or class…

Perhaps the mainstream media respect Keys’ career more because of her metropolitan background and traditional career path, whereas Barrino is from small-town America and, some would argue, lucked into her success in the recording industry.

With the exception of Kelly Clarkson early in her career and Carrie Underwood, American Idol winners have not been able to reach superstar status in the ways that those who come up through the traditional route do.

Is it easier to go after the small-town girl who made it big rather than the city girl who made it bigger?

CLICK HERE to read the full 4 page article regarding Alicia Keys vs. Fantasia Barrino.

The questions posed are quite thought provoking but maybe Alicia simply has a better PR team in place. Who knows?

We’ll never know the exact reasons why there’s such discrepancy in how each of these situations is viewed in the mainstream but at least we can discuss and draw our own conclusions.

The Light Skinned/Dark Skinned debate is now open.

Why do you think Alicia gets a pass?