Frequently Asked Questions
§ Historically, how has the shade of a person’s skin tone played a role in beauty?
As repeated from your history books, the first recorded form of race mixing happened around the slavery era. However, race mixing occurred primarily to increase the number of females in the New World, The United States (Russell, Wilson, Hall). As a result of upholding the act of race mixing throughout the south, individuals known as "mulattoes" were born (Russell, Wilson, Hall). Mulattoes were children who were both of the African and European descent (Russell, Wilson, Hall). Although these individuals were considered as "Negroes", they were not always treated the same as Negroes (Russell, Wilson, Hall). In slave auctions, mulattoes were priced higher than regular Negroes because they were viewed as having more worth because they could work inside the house and were more educated (Russell, Wilson, Hall). Thus resulting in a division within the slave community, and pure Africans believing they were not of the same worth as the mulattoes (Russell, Wilson, Hall); thus resulting in self-esteem issues among the group. § Historically, how has the shape of a person’s body played a role in beauty? Auctions during the slavery era not only effected how skin color was interpreted among the slaves, but it also changed how body shape was interpreted also (Martin, Baugh). For a woman, her worth increased if she appeared she could bare a lot of children. This was important the slave masters wanted to have as many slaves as they could without buying all of them (Russell, Wilson, Hall). Similar to how a certain skin tone was seen more favorable to others, body shape was the way (Russell, Wilson, Hall). |
§ How do young black women define beauty?
Through interviews conducted around The University of Tennessee's campus of numerous African-American women, many view beauty as voluptuous, full lips, long hair, and a nice smile. § What is the dictionary definition of beauty? Dictionary.com states beauty as being a noun that is the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest). § What are the effects of the media continuing to define black beauty?
Effects range from skin bleaching to death. The most commonly seen effect is prolonged self-esteem issues. A perfect example of this prolonged self-esteem issue is the evolution of Lil' Kim. She came out as a tough female rapper that demanded the attention of her audience through her words, but shortly after being discovered she found pride in showing her body to the world through provocative attire. Throughout the years, the world has seen her transition from an innocent talent to a damaged young woman who no longer looks in the mirror and sees something beautiful so she continues to try to change through plastic surgery and provocative wear. § Can the media defining beauty be stopped? The answer is no. We are a part of a society where we live to be able to speak our minds freely, and, as long as someone has a mouth and a brain, there will always be something to be said about any and everything. § What actions can be taken to redefine black beauty? Despite there not being any real stop to the media defining black beauty, there are countless actions that can be taken to redefine it. Websites such as My Black Is Beautiful and Black Girls Rock are a couple of organizations that support programs and events such as Queens Camp, Empowerment Circle, Girls Rural, P.U.R.P.L.E., and many more. |