10 Ways the Beauty Industry Tells You Being Beautiful Means Being White
When Googling “beautiful women”, I was expecting to see mostly white women but some women of color. The utter lack of women of color was fully disheartening, even in todays world, with 40% non-white US population.
Like this articles explains, the beauty industry has brainwashed society into thinking that white features are beautiful features.
Viola Davis, a successful actress is cited as an example of the beauty biases.
Another African American actress, Zoe Kravitz, is much more sexualized and fawned over in the media and by society because she has more European features; Zoe has lighter skin and a skinny nose. Viola on the other hand, is arguably more successful but less fawned over because she has nontraditional ‘pretty’ features, such as her darker skin and bigger lips.
It is important to increase the representation media to widen the meaning of beauty. The idea, that so many one girls strive toward, should not be emobodied by one look; a look that is impossible for many you girls to achieve naturally. The result of this hegemony, is harmful skin lightening creams and plastic surgeries that are putting young women lives in danger because of a manmade made conception of beauty.