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In both of these sources, the racial hierarchy is counteracted by movements to empower non-white women. In the top source, black and brown skinned individuals are celebrated through the "Black is beautiful" and "Brown is beautiful" movements. This encourages women to embrace their skin. Similarly, in the bottom source Black women start a movement to embrace their natural hair. This movement makes the women feel like they are in more control of their lives and have less negative influence from Eurocentric beauty standards. In both of these cases, non-white women are empowered to fight against the beauty standards created by colonization.

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In both of these sources, the efforts to combat the racial hierarchy led to unintended negative consequences. In the bottom source, there are unintended consequences of shaming lighter skinned Black individuals through empowerment movements such as "Black is Beautiful." While the trend has a positive intent, there are unforeseen impacts to it. Similarly, in the top source, by using skin lightening products to uplift themselves in the racial hierarchy, Indian women with darker skin unintentionally perpetuate the hierarchy in the process. These sources highlight the need to ensure that all consequences of movements and ways to combat the hierarchy are considered.

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In each of these cases, efforts have been made to counteract Eurocentric beauty standards and their negative effects. In some cases, these movements had positive impacts, other times the impacts were more negative. This connects to my IRQ because it poses a solution to the negative impact of colonially-created beauty standards and highlights the need for more research and care to be put into body positivity movements.

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African American Personal Presentation: Psychology of Hair and Self-Perception 

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African American Personal Presentation: Psychology of Hair and Self-Perception 

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Author: Nina Ellis-Hervey et al

Purpose: examine how wearing natural hair impact the perception of Black women on themselves

Evidence:

More control over their lives when they wore their hair in their natural state

Less likely to worry about their perception when compared to European beauty standards.

Implications: Awareness campaigns are positively encouraging women to wear their natural hair and fight back on the beauty standard

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The complexities of complexion: a cultural geography of skin colour and beauty products

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The complexities of complexion: a cultural geography of skin colour and beauty products

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Author: Oliver Picton

Purpose: to determine the factors and cause of the popularity of skin lightening products in India

Evidence:

Western companies profit on insecurities created by colonization

Women in India see it as a way to overcome the beauty standard

Implications: This highlights the downside of an attempt to overcome beauty standards as they perpetuate the racial hierarchy

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These sources connect because both sources show that Western depiction of beauty is only reflective of the European lens. In the above source, female characters who were considered beautiful in European folklore often had “golden hair” and pale skin in folklore. This is reflective of Eurocentric beauty standards in the real world and exemplifies the standard as well. Similarly, in the bottom source, Kom women's depiction of beauty and their own cultural definition of it is omitted from media, since the Western world only depicts the ways in which their culture has changed post-colonization. In each of these cases, media perpetuates the Western beauty standards through exemplification.

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The Most Beautiful of All: A Quantitative Approach to Fairy-Tale Femininity

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The Most Beautiful of All: A Quantitative Approach to Fairy-Tale Femininity

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Author: Jeana Jorgensen

Purpose: to examine how Western folklore portrays women in a way that creates gender norms and beauty standards

Evidence:

Female characters' beauty is defined as her most important trait and is tied to other characteristics such as kindness.

In the real world Western society considers beauty to be one of the defining traits of a woman

Beauty in folklore is often tied to hair, eyes, and pale skin

Implications: By having Eurocentric beauty standards in folklore, beauty standards are exemplified and perpetuated, even in non-Western societies

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Author: Jillian M Báez et al

Purpose: to examine the efficacy of movements to turn away from colonial beauty standards

Evidence:

“Black is Beautiful” movement and “Brown is Beautiful” movements

Some argue that the Black is Beautiful movement may lead to a negative light on black individuals who are naturally more light skinned

Movements that celebrate all body types are more effective

Implications: This presents the challenge of creating movements to counteract these Western beauty standards

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ZI-FEITI-WUIEYN: FASHION AND BEAUTY IN KOM HISTORY IN CAMEROON AS UNDERSTOOD THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS

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ZI-FEITI-WUIEYN: FASHION AND BEAUTY IN KOM HISTORY IN CAMEROON AS UNDERSTOOD THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS

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Author: Walter Gam Nkwi

Purpose: to examine indigenous Kom understanding of beauty and sexuality through their lens

Evidence:

Colonial writings state that African women are just now finding their place in the world

Photographs show that pre-colonization Kom women understood sexuality

Defined as the way they treated their bodies.

Examples included scarification, tattoos, and wearing earrings.

Implications: shows that media portrayal and beauty standards don't accurately show beauty in colonized areas of the world

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Race and Color in Jamaican Hotels, 1962–2020 

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Race and Color in Jamaican Hotels, 1962–2020 

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Author: Henrice Altink

Purpose: to examine how racism continues in Jamaica, post-independence

Evidence:

Lighter skinned employees in Jamaican hotels have more opportunity

Lighter skinned guests receive better treatment

Implications: Hotels represent social mobility and thus it shows that the racial hierarchy continues today

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Controlling Beauty Ideals: Caribbean Women, Thick Bodies, and White Supremacist Discourse

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Controlling Beauty Ideals: Caribbean Women, Thick Bodies, and White Supremacist Discourse

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Purpose: to find how Black Caribbean immigrant women are affected by Eurocentric beauty standards

Evidence:

During colonial era, black women were described as having large, "unwomanly" bodies

This was used as justification for slavery and minimizing opportunity. Today, the discrimination continues.

Implications: This highlights the issue of having a singular accepted body type in society and the need to promote body positivity

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1. By looking at beauty standards from a historical lens, one can better understand the factors that create them. This is the only way to create solutions that solve the root of the problem. Throughout the globe, European colonization impacted beauty standards, especially in non-white regions of the world.

2. My first theme explores how these standards emerged from colonization and thus clearly shows why they are problematic and difficult to overcome. My second theme explains how after that emergence, continual media exposure has led to those beauty standards prevailing in society today. This highlights key areas where representation must improve and be less Eurocentric. Finally, by exploring current movements that try to fight these perpetuated beauty standards, the nuances of the problem can be better understood.

3. Based on these implications, the most successful movements to combat the racial hierarchy focus on body positivity for all body types and celebrating one's natural skin and hair. It is important that these movements encompass all individuals or unintended consequences may be created.

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Both sources examine how Black women have been discriminated against in today’s society as a result of colonial racial hierarchy. In the above source, Black Caribbean women were stereotyped as “thicker” and less feminine. This continues to be the stereotyping used in today’s society that fuels the used justification to the lack of involvement of Black women in the global economy as Black Caribbean women are hypersexualized. Similarly, this source also showed a perpetuating racial hierarchy, specifically in Jamaica. In Jamaica, the racial hierarchy placed whites at the top, those with lighter Black skin in the middle, and those with dark skin at the bottom. In hotels, this racial hierarchy is still present and those with lighter skin are given more opportunity and better treatment.

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TRANSITION:  CONNECTION FROM THEME TO THEME

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TRANSITION:  CONNECTION FROM THEME TO THEME

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These themes connect because the enforcement of beauty standards by media led to the development of movements to counteract the beauty standard today.

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TRANSITION:  CONNECTION FROM THEME TO THEME

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TRANSITION:  CONNECTION FROM THEME TO THEME

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While in the previous theme the initial developments of the racial hierarchy is explained by looking at its history, this theme explains how those themes are continued and perpetuated by society, specifically by looking at media

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In each of these cases, the Western media portrayal eliminates all other lenses other than the European one. This occurs because of the colonization of non-western nations by Europe. This results in the exemplification of Western beauty standards and continues and perpetuates them. This connects to my IRQ because it explains the medium by which the beauty standards created by colonization are continued to be enforced.

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In each of these sources, colonization led to the creation of a racial hierarchy. In South Asia, this led to a beauty standard of lighter skin. For Carribean women, their bodies were hypersexuality and thinner bodies were considered ideal. In Jamaica, opportunity became dictated by one's skin tone. In all of these cases, remnants of these social hierarchies continue into today's society. This connects to my individual research question because each of these beauty standards stem from colonization, and the only way to understand them is to address the root cause.

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These sources connect because in both cases historical racial hierarchies have led to beauty standards that persist today. In the top source, South Asian women with darker skin are lower in the racial hierarchy as a result of British colonization. As a result, many South Asian women lighten their skin with commercial products to try to fit into this beauty standard. In the bottom source, it is explained that as a result of slavery during colonization, Black Carribean women were discriminated against. Beauty standards became Eurocentric and thinner was considered more “beautiful.” In both cases, these Eurocentric standards continue today.

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How has colonization shaped beauty standards today?

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How has colonization shaped beauty standards today?

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(Historical and social)

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Combining Global Expertise with Local Knowledge in Colonial India: Selling Ideals of Beauty and Health in Commodity Advertising (c. 1900–1949) 

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Combining Global Expertise with Local Knowledge in Colonial India: Selling Ideals of Beauty and Health in Commodity Advertising (c. 1900–1949) 

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Author: Mobeen Hussain

Purpose: examine factors which led to the popularity of skin-lightening products in South Asia

Evidence:

When South Asia was colonized by Great Britain, beauty, fairness, and cleanliness became commercialized ideals

Opportunity improved with lighter skin

Implications: This is the root of racial hierarchy and colorism in South Asia

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Efforts to counteract racial hierarchy today

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Efforts to counteract racial hierarchy today

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Enforcement of racial hierarchy through media  

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Enforcement of racial hierarchy through media  

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Context + Introduction + Focus (Problem Statement)

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Context + Introduction + Focus (Problem Statement)

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There is a problem with the imposition of beauty standards on adolescent women throughout the world. Despite movements to counteract the beauty standards, these standards continue to be imposed. For example, in India and other regions colonized by the Western world skin lightening products continue to be sold and advertised by Western companies. In order to address this, it’s important to understand how colonial hierarchies have impacted the creation of beauty standards. During colonization, European powers tied power to beauty and beauty to Eurocentrism. These systems of hierarchy have continued into today's society. In order to understand what factors affect beauty standards today, it is necessary to understand how they came to be in the first place.

Use source 4 about Jamaican hotels to explain hierarchy

Use Source 2 about the colonial beginnings of beauty standards

Use source 6 to talk about skin lightening products