In her writing, Judith Ortiz Cofer describes how we see our bodies “through the lens of social values and beliefs” (Ortiz Cofer 433). This statement is still very true today, especially among men and women of color in the United States. As Ortiz Cofer describes, in different social interactions the perception of beauty changes. This is demonstrated in her writing throughout the section in which she discusses how her looks and people’s opinions of them affected her life. She describes her experience in a public high school in New Jersey where the “hierarchy for popularity was as follows: pretty white girl, pretty Jewish girl, pretty Puerto Rican girl, pretty black girl” (Ortiz Cofer 439). This standard was much different than what she experienced as a little girl, in public with her mother.
In recent years, researchers have found that the standards of beauty have not changed from what Ortiz Cofer described. In many parts of the world, including the U.S., the standard of beauty comes from the features of white women, such as lighter skin and hair type (Harper and Choma 735). This ideal may be an unconscious thought for many people because of how long the media has illustrated white women as the standard of beauty. The author of the article “Normative White Femininity: Race, Gender and the Politics of Beauty” describes her discussion with her mixed daughter where she expresses her desire for blonde hair like the girls on TV. Kathy Deliovsky said “Given that the images on TV are predominantly of Europeans, I realized ‘blonde’ to my nine-year-old daughter signified not just the color of hair but a white aesthetic represented by straight hair” (Deliovsky 49). Women of color are under a lot of pressure from societal norms to conform to what has historically represented the standard of beauty. Social media can be a positive place where people support each other, but it can also have negative consequences. Author Virgie Tovar writes that one’s body is their own business and nobody else can tell you who you are (Tovar). This positivity coaching has been very influential in women’s mental health and body perception.
Works Cited
Black, Elaine Baran. “TOVAR, Virgie. The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color.” School Library Journal, no. 5, 2020, p. 78. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgbe&AN=edsgcl.622369414&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Deliovsky, Kathy. “Normative White Femininity: Race, Gender, and the Politics of Beauty.” Atlantis, vol. 33, no. 1, 2008 2008, pp. 48–58. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=apn&AN=ALTP758014&site=ehost-live.
Harper, Kathryn, and Becky L. Choma. “Internalised White Ideal, Skin Tone Surveillance, and Hair Surveillance Predict Skin and Hair Dissatisfaction and Skin Bleaching among African American and Indian Women.” Sex Roles, vol. 80, no. 11/12, June 2019, pp. 735–744. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11199-018-0966-9.
Ortiz Cofer, Judith. “The Story of My Body.” True Women and Real Men.
Well done, Ashley! I was actually discussing this subject the other day with a friend. There was a study done in the 1940s called “The Doll Test.” Drs. Kenneth and Mamie Clark provided four dolls to children that were identical in every besides skin color. Children ages 3-7 were asked to first identify the race of the doll and then asked to pick the one they preferred. Overwhelmingly, most children picked the white dolls and also assigned more positive characteristics to it, “pretty, clean, bright, etc.” The Clarks concluded that ‘prejudice, discrimination, and segregation’ created a feeling of inferiority among African-American children and damaged their self-esteem” (Dr. Clark Testimony in Brown v. Board of Ed.) I fear this is still true today. Our society assigns dominance, desire and standards to “white.” I really solidifies the disenfranchisement that is still every present in society today.
Thank you so much for your post! I realized that in the US, white people are still the dominant race. So in many ways, the standard of beauty goes along with the dominant race. Different people have different views on what is pretty, it is unacceptable and disrespectful to say that what race is better than others. This is something that is related to perception. However, these perceptions can be very biased and narrow.
This is an incredible job, Ashley, I have done work on this type of style last semester in my sociology class. How through social value and beliefs that create a form of beauty within the eye of the individual which would create a type of social norm in our society in almost all aspects within an individual. Within our past centuries, “beauty” has changed over time compared to now and back then that makes them seem different but they have done research on this matter, which would lead to a lot of individuals almost having the same mindset for the term “beauty”. Especially how through social media where we encourage and support all forms of beauty but there would always be negativity within it, almost like a balance between the two. Finally, we have seen all ways between the two to keep balance but it is something that we have to work as a community or keep supporting and improving each other’s forms of beauty and creating new ideas and realizations when it comes to the term “beauty”.
Well said Ashley! I agree with the fact that social media has taken over our lives completely. From defining a standard beauty to what we should be eating and dressing like. I feel as if there was not social media, there would be less number of people who would try and change. It is a ridiculous amount of pressure, and if a person fails they become depressed, and may have suicidal thoughts. I lost two friends due to the fact that they didn’t fit in and people considered them ugly, or out of style because they were different. Beauty comes in many different forms, and people need to accept that. I know it is hard not to compare yourself to what you see.
Very insightful post, Ashley. The expectations that society places on women have become a never-ending cycle and there needs to be a change. It’s important to note the reasons why there hasn’t been a change in the beauty standards and why they are so relevant today. I think that the makeup industry has a lot to do with flawed beauty standards. Most brands market their products to white women, and the shade range varies for women of color. This ultimately already is telling society that the only kind of women who can wear makeup, and enhance their beauty, are white. For instance, there was a big controversy a few years ago when Tarte makeup launched a new concealer line with predominately lighter shades than darker shades. This is the issue. There should be shades of every skin color offered by a makeup brand, especially a brand with popularity and success. It’s important that consumers (us), do not support these brands and instead buy products that are feasible for everyone. Juvias Place is a makeup brand that has an emphasis on supporting women of color along with white women, they have created an equal market that values all women Brands like this are going to aid in the removal of societal norms of beauty standards.
Ashley I think it was a good point to make and I think you said it well. In a gender studies class I took last semester we had a module all on the standard of beauty and it is honestly crazy how much it has been pushed upon us to see one person as the standard beautiful while the other is deemed unprofessional or not acceptable as beautiful. Media of all kinds always sends us messages even if we don’t know we are picking up on them we inherently are which is causing us to be prejudice. Jane Elliott says, “There is only one race. The human race.” We are taught about the vast differences between people with different skin tones, but we are all the same just from different parts of the world, beauty shouldn’t be defined, especially by the color of our skin or the straightness of our hair.
Great post Ashley! I agree that the standard of beauty is likely unconscious for many people that fit into it. Though some small aspects of the standard might change, it is still centered around white people and their features. My mom is Puerto Rican and although she grew up in a different city and decade, she still experienced many of the same things as Ortiz. She had little representation and also looked up to Wonder Woman. People also looked down upon her for her skin color and called her slurs. This post helped put into perspective how as a society we have not made any improvements on how we define beauty.
Hi Ashley,
I enjoyed your blog. I think by acknowledging there is a beauty standard we see how this affects those who do not meet the requirements. The reading even focuses on colorism. By acknowledging the hierarchy in her schools we see the construct of society. It places ranks in what is considered good and what is considered bad. This was a great post that highlighted the authors feelings of growing up feeling beneath another. We also see this in the way media represents people and what is beautiful.
“Women of color are under a lot of pressure from societal norms to conform to what has historically represented the standard of beauty.”
As a woman of color myself, being exposed to western culture and their beauty standards at a very young age was very frustrating. Noticing racial discrimination even in a country such as India that is predominantly known for its brown-skinned people is when you realize that beauty standards and expectations related to race have gone too far. Thinking back on it, I cannot believe that I felt inferior because of the skin color I was born with, even while being surrounded by fellow brown-skinned people. As you said, media representation has massive underestimated consequences.