Beauty is it black or white

Growing up as a child in a very westernise society I yarn for an image on the front cover of a magazines which would match mine; dark skin not Beyoncé dark, but Meshell Ndegeocello dark, and kinky short hair.  I had pretty dolls with such perfect skin and I wonder if that doll would look just as perfect with a dark complexion. I recall days when I use to put my afro textured hair in a bun, I would gal it, and sleek it back so tightly, and I just wanted to fit in.  Regardless of what braids or how my mama hold my hair together I wasn’t please. I knew I was different I resented my dark skin and when kids at schools ask to feel my hair, to touch it, reinforce the idea that my hair wasn’t normal. I remember in high school, I had my braids in with really long extensions, the students use to pull it to see if I felt it. One boy thought it would be funny, to light my extension in science; just to see how long it would take before I felt it. �" kmk, 2015

 

There hasn’t been a more debatable, and questioned topic than that of who and what is consider beautiful. For most part of history to present day many women of colour in the West have and continue to challenge white definitions of beauty. While notions of beauty or who is consider beautiful vary among many cultures for example among Dinka, a tribe in South Sudan, who cut decorative designs into their skin and remove some teeth in the name beauty. What remains consistent in many notions of beauty are rooted in hegemonically defined expectations (Patton, OT. 2006). Even though definitions of beauty affect the identities of everyone, this research paper will look at the historical and sociological aspect of beauty, and its effect on coloured women.   

For a very long time women of colour continue to struggle with measuring up to societal ideals of beauty; black beauty has been belittled. Indeed history is changing, in the last 20 years or so mediated images of beauty of have become more diverse (e.g. Tyra Banks, Naomi Campell, Tomiko, Alek Wek and Oprah Winifred), “biases against black women based on their physical appearance persist’, and many black women do not feel free from meditated beauty standards (Patton, OT. 2006). Historically the Black female body has been a sexual object�"something to objectify and use (Johnson, T.A.2014). One ideology created and enforced by media institutions via mediated messages is the concept of beauty (Goldman, A., & Waymer, D. 2014). As stated, mediated images are become diverse however majority of TV sitcoms continue to feature a cast in which the female characters typically exhibit the traditional attributes that are supposed to equate to beauty, including but not limited to being white, thin and having smooth skin, long beautiful hair, and a youthful look (Goldman, A., & Waymer, D. 2014.).  Moreover, when images of coloured women are mediated too often ‘her was straight, skin light and her features European; in other words if she was nearly indistinguishable from a white women as possible (Michele Wallace, 1979, 157-8)

Beauty is defined by the concise oxford as “a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight”. Beauty therefore can be seen as physical or spiritual, inner or outer, natural or artificial, subjective or objectivie, positive or negative. Beauty can thus be interpreted in different dimensions varying across time and culture, but this subjective concept in a way has been altered consequently women feel as though beauty as objective. The media as stated previously, plays a huge role  in influencing society’s perception of beauty, by projecting an ‘ideal’ standard of beauty resulting in women feeling insecure about their appearance if they can’t measure up to such expectations.  This can lead to many identity and self-worth problems which could results in what Kobena Mercer referred to as an identity crisis (Woodward, K, 2000).  As George Herbert Mead argue that one important distinguishing feature that separates human beings from animals is their ability to imagine and carry images in our heads which is done through symbolising. Human beings symbolise the sort of person we want others to think we are through the clothes we wear and the ways in which we behaviour (Woodward, K, 2000).  This notion of symbolising and carrying images in our head can be seen that women are constantly  been told the media how they should look like, what is beautiful and so forth could result in them carrying negative and unrealistic images of one’s self. In regards to beauty, women are constantly surrounded by homogenising and normalizing images of what we is consider the ideal beauty standard, women are than comparing herself to the beauty which could be consider a private trouble as it is a personal problem. However this notion of a private problem can expand and become a public issue when not only one women is facing this but many women in society start to challenge it. Beauty as one knows pays a significant role in the life of a women through the use of ideals, women’s perceptions can be easily altered resulting in high levels of insecurities. Charles Cooley believed that the individual and society could only be explained together, as individuals contribute to society and society influences the individual simultaneously (Scott and Marshall, 2009). Cooley defined the looking glass self as “the image people have of themselves based on how they believe others to perceive them” (cited in Macionis and Plummer, 2012: 214). The reflection women see in the mirror is based on the societal standards of beauty set by the media. If a woman feels like she cannot compare herself to the ideals shown in magazines and advertisements, she will identify herself as undesirable and believe she is not beautiful and therefore develop insecurities.

From a historical perspective preferable body shape/image has altered throughout the years. However, adherence to white standards of beauty as well as women being subjected to hegemonically defined standards of beauty, is not a new phenomenon.  In the sixteenth century European women wore corsets made of whalebone and hardened canvas, a piece of mental or wood would ran down the front to flatten the breast and abdomen. In the seventeenth century the ideal beauty consist of ample breast, hips and buttocks (Patton, OT. 2006). The eighteenth century was the glorifying of the Victorian era, where corset were still ideal and preferred however the introduction of large crinolines overstated the smallness of waist. While in the 1920s slander legs, hips and small breast were popular, in the 1940s and 1950s things turned around to the desiring of an hourglass shape.  However the 1960s a youthful, thin body and straight hair was in (Patton, OT. 2006). 1970-1980s the mesomorph body, thin but muscular and toned body with large breast was ideal.  Small breast were almost seen as a disease that could only be cured surgically. In the turn of the twenty first century youthful, slim body types with large breast are still preferred (Patton, OT. 2006). Moreover, the black body however has been socially and culturally constructed by a racist and sexist society to be seen as vulgar. The body of a black female has historically been seen as a sexual object something to objective and use (Johnson, T.A.2014).  Large buttocks, breasts, hips, and lips have been viewed more as sexual toys than “regular” parts of the anatomy to be respected or admired.  This short statement can be seen in the story of Saartjie “Sarah” Baartman, who was a South African native women that was captured in 1810 because of distinguishing features of large hips, buttocks, breast and full lip (Johnson, T.A.2014).. Baartman was put in a cage and force to dance and other human tricks as part of a circus display due to her large rather unusual buttocks; she was dehumanise, striped of her identity and denied basic rights.   Even after her death she was furthered objectified and place in museman in British for others to see. Her body was return back as recent as 2002 (Johnson, T.A.2014). Her story is one of the many which shows the mainstream public seem have a morbid fascination with the differences of the Black woman’s body. From this brief overview, it is clear that individual knowledge regarding history and women was in general, privileges and largely trace to Euro-American body-image issues. It is also noticeable that women have long been subjected to hegemonically defined beauty standards. One important noteworthy aspect is that not all whiteness were valued or classified as ‘pure, many white women struggle and cant not measure to the ‘white normative standards of beauty’ which is highly endorsed historical and through meditated images of beautiful only few white women can join this club of being beautiful, blond, slim, tall and upper-class (Patton, OT. 2006).  Nowadays, women of all races, and social class continue to be held to hegemonically defined standards of beauty for example modern beauty standards include tattoos, piercings, diets, high-heels, tight jeans, artificial nails, make-up, straighteners, plastic surgery, Botox injections, skin lighting and so on, all which are costly, altering of body to achieve hegemonic standards of beauty can range anywhere from breast cancer, to anorexia, bulimia, emotional stress even death in worse cases (Patton, OT. 2006).

In the Western world, Black identity has been constructed to normalize whiteness. Therefore, society deems Blacks and other people of colour as the “other”. Black women and their beauty has persistently been compared to white beauty standards, mostly in reference to their skin colour and hair (Johnson, T.A.2014).  While hair is important to Black women, hair is a part of every woman’s identity to some degree. Hair is a distinct “marker of woman-ness, gender and identity”. Because of this “othering” of Blackness, which includes Black hair, Black women have historically been seen as inhuman objects, Kant promoted the blonde, blue-eye ideal of female beauty, denigrating Africans to the status of ‘savages (Brand, ZP. 1999). Black women’s femininity, body, and physical features have been under attack since the capturing of Africans who were removed from their homelands with force and disregard for their humanity. Hair is particularly meaningful to women of African descent because it has been “displayed as beautiful and decadent and used to display culture, beauty and spirituality” (Johnson, T.A.2014). This traumatizing phenomenon coupled with its socio-cultural, historic, and spiritual relevance has resulted in a hyper-awareness of hair for Black men and women, but in particular Black women and girls. Of all physical features, hair is the one most easily transformed (Johnson, T.A.2014). The often taken choice to straighten natural Black hair has clear historic and psychological underpinnings Black women spend more money, as high as three times as much, on hair care than any other racial or ethnic group of women (Johnson, T.A.2014).

In conclusion, It is important to remember that the westernised standard of beauty is not enforced everywhere around the world for example in Ghana, it is very rare of slim to be found attractive. Most parts of West Africa or Africa in generally prefer the women large as it symbolise wealth and the ability to bear child. Women in Ghana have no desire to be skinny as a lack of weight is associated with AIDS and poverty and body fat is associated with wealth (Hirsch, 2012).  And in south Sudan beauty is more than the physical appearance, a beautiful girl is one who is well mannered, skilled in domestic areas, knowledgeable, family originated, culturally and traditional invest and a good heart and hospitably.  According to a show study on the 20/20 broadcast only 10% of Euro-American women were happy with their body, while 70% of African American women were happy with their bodies (Patton, OT. 2006). The research also found that Euro-American women, as compared to African American women tend to be more prone to anorexia and bulimia due to mediated body images and the pressure to measure up (Patton, OT. 2006).

Moreover, white standards of beauty have become the norm, challenging and redefining the self, ingrained identities and white hegemony is indeed difficult. Until society critique the message of stereotypical standardizations of beauty, black women as well women in general regardless of their race the disparagement of their beauty, ‘we will never get past the wall of misunderstanding, sexism, and racism (Patton, OT. 2006). 

“beauty is not a normal human or innate trait, but rather, it is presented as a commodity that can and must be obtained by women�"through purchasing products and participating in the various beauty practices�"in order to fit with the ideal”(Goldman, A., & Waymer, D. 2014).