The Consequences Of European Standards Of Beauty On Black...

The consequences of European Standards of beauty on Black women Melissa Bandoo 03/31/2015 Abstract As a consequence of history and European standards of beauty upheld in society black women are conditioned to loathe attributes â€Å"distinctive to their race† which, therefore, leads to low self-esteem. Black women today have a plethora of advertisements thrown at them that white-wash, body shame, and encourage them to assimilate to European standards of beauty for example straightening their hair which ultimately alters a woman’s outlook on self. Hypothesis African-American women have low self-esteem due to European standards of beauty but their expectations of beauty differ from women and young women of other races due to cultural differences and surroundings. Darker skinned African-Americans are less confident in themselves due to the glorification of lighter skin. Introduction As we know, history has separated African-American people from â€Å"the greater white society†. Black women in early history were maids and slaves that were often separated by skin complexion, women that were lighter in complexion were put in the house as slaves as maids and caregivers and women with a darker complexion were put out in the field to work on crops. A large amount of house slaves, who were offspring of their masters, had lighter complexions and were told that they were better than their fellow darker-skinned slaves. Social status among slaves was brought about by the house andShow MoreRelatedThe Body And Identity Of Afro Descendant Women1618 Words   |  7 Pagesrelated to the body and identity of afro descendant women have generated over dimensionality of their sexuality, affecting their relation with the rest of the population and with afro descendant men. To explain the process of construction of beauty standards, Markowtksy talks about how the hierarchy system can establish different dominance relations. 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