The Beauty Standards in the United States

Beauty

Black self-contempt saturating African American culture is irrefutable, similar to the way that it is misjudged, unchallenged, and undervalued. The extreme feeling of disguised self-loathing that torments the psyches of various black girls in the United States is not a random thing that popped up over hundreds of years of development. It is not an anonymous event empty of a coherent justification. It is the result of a purposefully condemned system of suppression and control. The portrayal of Black America in the media-- especially in the beauty industry, has taught young black girls to not appreciate their blackness. The only thing our society sees beauty in is tall, skinny, blonde, and excludes anyone who isn’t white.

The beauty standards in the United States has a damaging effect on girls . America has created a barbie doll like standard that girls feel obligated to abide by. Women are pressured to look a certain way, and if they don’t, they are encouraged to change, not for themselves, but for society. Young girls are growing up looking at images and these flawless beings in the media and hating themselves because they are striving to look like something that’s literally unrealistic. Advertising has showed us what we should be. Because our own self esteem isn’t good enough.

Girls have it hard when it comes to beauty. Black girls have it even harder. The mainstream beauty ideal is exclusively white. Growing up a black female, I was taught my skin wasn’t something to be proud of. I was taught that my curls are ugly, my big lips are ugly, my nose is ugly. I didn’t have anyone to look up to. Everytime I turned on the TV all I would see is white. When I was younger I always wanted to look like the girls I saw everywhere in the media, with the long straight hair, and the pretty white skin. Black girls around the United States are trying to achieve the impossible. They are trying to conform to the white beauty standards that are celebrated through media.

The lack of diversity shown through the media is absolutely disgusting. In a country that is so diverse with many beautiful cultures, all we see is white America. The only time black girls are celebrated is the light skinned black girls with the skinny waist, the long hair, and the big butt. Even the music I listen to highlights light skinned girls and degrades dark skinned women.