Eurocentric Beauty Standards Of African American Women

As of recently, the media has been flooded with positive interpretations of beauty standards all over the world. According to various sources, beauty ideals, in women especially, are socially constructed in order to judge a person’s value based on physical attractiveness; therefore, it is highly encouraged that people pay attention to their looks and take care of themselves, in order for others to create a positive first impression of one’s character. It is no secret that beauty standards vary from one culture to the next and it is difficult to establish a universal principle of what is considered beautiful. Many countries’ ideals contrast one another and, as a result, allow for stereotypes to emerge. This is the case between American

In the context of physical appearance, black woman are only featured with body parts- mainly their “large, rotund behind” (Perry 137). The presentation of the face is mainly limited to white or lighter-complexioned women. The highest idealization of women is one that possesses a “‘high-status’ face combined with a highly sexualized body read by the viewer as the body of a poor or working-class woman” (Perry 137). Perry further substantiates her claim by stating that “women are created or valued by how many fantasy elements have been pieced together in their bodies” (137). She debunks the opposition arguing that the bodies of black women are appreciated by pointing out that only a minority of black women have such attributes, and those without are pressured and struggle to achieve such proportions.

Since the early 1900s, Black women have had a fascination with their hair. More explicitly, they have had a fascination with straightening their hair. The need to be accepted by the majority class has caused them to do so. Though the image of straight hair as being better than coarse hair still hasn’t left the Black community, there has been a surge of non straight hairstyles since the nineteen sixties. Wearing more natural hairstyles, which ironically enough include ‘weaves’ and ‘hair extensions’ has been considered to be more empowered and more enlightened. However, this image comes with a price, and though it appears the ‘natural’ hairstyle movement has advanced Black women, it has actually set

Comments made by other ethnicities and sometimes our own like “You’re pretty for a black girl” suggests that black women are naturally unattractive or ugly. I sometimes look I the mirror and cannot see myself as someone that is beautiful without adding beauty enhancers ( such as makeup or straighteners) that contours my face to a less threatening persona, to stand out in a white persons eye and a black man’s eye because many have adopted the “white man’s” standard of beauty in this society. I often drive past all the African hair braiding shops and the all-natural Shea stands on Jamaica Avenue to go to the Dominicans hair salon to get my monthly wet and sets. While they straighten what’s left of my “nappy” coils, as I sat there inside I felt that I was only hanging on by a thread to my African roots.

Black men are more likely to prefer dating and marrying people with light skin than women are. Black men also see lighter skinned black women as a “prize” due to the mentioned benefits of being a light skinned black woman. Since dark skinned women meet few, if any of the European beauty standards, they are more likely to “...experience self hate, distorted body image, depression, and eating disorders” (Bryant, 82-85) Seeing as how European beauty standards are impressed upon men as well, it is no surprise that Black men see straighter hair as better hair. This then leads to Black women choosing to permanently wear their hair straight. For these Black women, “...discrimination against their person can lie within the walls of their very homes.”

Putting the blame for the creation of such beauty standards on the West as a whole ignores the fact that a large percentage of the Western populations are women of color. Women of color from the west cannot be held responsible for the same beauty standards that they neither created nor benefit from and that are used to oppress them from within their own borders.

My black older sister has already faced domestic violence, abuse, and sexual harassment in her 24 years of life; my little 13 year old sister is already starting to face sexual harassment in her middle school. Society has failed in the way we treat our black women. Growing up my sister would spend her teenage years watching rap music videos on MTV, and now, my little sister spends her time browsing Instagram and YouTube. I want to see how cultural images might affect the way my sisters view themselves and determine their self worth. If a young black girl or woman fails to meet the complex beauty standards society has set, she begins to feel dissatisfaction with her body, causing her to skew her perception of her sense of self.

hair and is extremely damaging to the hair and from personal experience can lead to permanent scarring and scalp irritation to name a few. Since Black women are apart of the “mass” that McCombs and Shaw reference in their theory, they are also consuming these images and have no other way to think about themselves. This puts more pressure on Black women to want to assimilate to Eurocentric standards of beauty which has a direct effect on their self-esteem as discussed in the very popular documentary ‘For Dark Girls’ where Black women discussed their struggles with trying to achieve this Eurocentric standard of beauty.

With the rise of colonial expansion and imperialism, Europeans were inspired by their encounters with both culturally and physically different people to categorize them; thus leading to the creation of race. While the construction of race started off as harmless, it has been used to in the defense of cultural erasure and the oppression of Non-White racial groups. Today, the aftereffects of colonialism, slavery, and imperialism are still felt with increasing racial tension, the perpetuation of racial stereotypes, and the existence of Eurocentric beauty standards: a concept where people with commonly white features (thin lips, narrow nose, light hair, etc.) are exalted and those who do not adhere to these beauty standards are marginalized. Although

Over the course of the years, society has taught black girls that the darker their skin tone is, the uglier they are which triggered them to do their best to meet Eurocentric beauty standards such as having light skin, slim nose and straight hair.

Throughout many decades, African American women have been able to set their own standards of beauty. Lonnae Parker, a writer for The Washington Post, states in her article Black women heavier and happier with their bodies than white women, poll finds, that “Freed from that high-powered media gaze, generations of black women have fashioned their own definitions of beauty with major assists from literature, music, and help from their friends” (Parker, 2012). The importance of this quote is that they were getting help from their culture, the music and literature is essentially the culture that helped them to define their own standards of beauty. By being isolated

Participants in the study reported feelings of inadequacy in comparison to their lighter skinned counterparts in everything from school competitions to mate selection. These feelings of inadequacy remained prevalent from childhood through adulthood. Media also plays a key role in how the skin tone bias is perpetuated. Rap and Hip-Hop music videos often portray lighter skinned women as the love interest of the main character or the woman the male finds sexually desirable (Wallace, Townsend, Glasgow, & Ojie, 2011). Movies and television programs targeted towards African Americans may also have a light skinned woman as the successful, attractive character with a juxtaposing character who is darker, loud, obnoxious, and often fits into the “sassy sidekick” trope. A popular Black situational comedy in the 1990s, Martin, was a prime example of this (Walter et al., 1992). The main character’s girlfriend Gina, was a successful, beautiful lighter skinned woman and her best friend, Pam, was dark skinned and often the recipient of Martin’s jokes about her appearance. Exposure to these repeated stereotypes for Black women only furthers the notion that light skin is somehow superior to dark skin. This could mean that for African American women, having darker skin is a risk factor for developing body dissatisfaction.

For instance, relationships with race and beauty have greatly impacted the way beauty is perceived in society. Underlying messages of race and white dominance in beauty campaigns have always been a pressing issue in society. Previous generations viewed whiteness as beauty and the ideal race. Anyone who had darker complections and skin was not associated with beauty campaigns or see as attractive in society.

Beauty standards are portrayed everywhere: on magazines, social media, ads, commercials, and even flaunted among peers. While the ideals are supposed to promote health awareness, fitness motivation, and self love, it unfortunately results in many unfavorable consequences. Women are constantly “penalized for not being beautiful and at the same time are stigmatized, even pathologized, for not feeling beautiful, for having low self-esteem, for engaging in behaviors like dieting and excessive exercising, or for having eating disorders” (Johnston and Taylor 954). Beauty standards are unrealistic and unhealthy to pursue, and misinforms the public on what true beauty is. While not all beauty image ideals promote negative feelings and dissatisfaction, many believe that the negative effects far outweighs any positive effects.

Beauty Should Know No Color The United States has an obsession of glorifying Eurocentric beauty. This obsession with white beauty standards has caused for the beauty industry in America to be not accepting of people who are of a different descent. The beauty industry has specific standards that it portrays to people of color.