1 WOMEN AND APPEARANCE: ATTITUDES AND DIFFERENCES DISCUSSION ALL women are concerned about their appearance. Societies throughout the world place more importance on how a woman looks than a man. Women are taught to strive for whatever their society views as the ideal. Some societies like stout women, some like slender women, some value tallness, and some prefer shortness. There are many variations for body parts. In Brazil, men notice the buttocks first. In the United States, emphasis is placed on the breasts and buttocks. Recently, Apryl Brown (California) lost both arms and legs after toxic buttocks implants by an unlicensed technician in attempts to enlarge. Whatever the “requirements,” women strive to meet them. Why is this? First, throughout history until the present time women have been seen as “a commodity” to be used in bargaining for a better family or tribal position. In the case of kings and queens, historically women could be used to ensure international cooperation and pacts, as when Henry VIII exhibited his daughter (later to be Elizabeth I) naked to the King of France to show that she didn’t have marks on her body. (He didn’t marry her.) Children of chiefs and overlords were married to each other for beneficial alliances. Later, individual women traded on their looks for their own “beneficial alliances.” In the Wolof Tribe of Senegal, a man had to work for his prospective father-in-law for up to a year to show he was worthy. Men with “beautiful daughters” abused the custom and would get free labor from a number of men. (This is reminiscent of the Christian Bible where Jacob had to work for his father-in-law to obtain Rachel and Leah.) Modern Senegal has outlawed this custom. Today, the majority of societies have passed beyond the “bargaining chip” position, but women are still overly affected by physical appearance striving. Note the number of American women with eating disorders – either starving or overeating. The important issue is not SIZE, but HEALTH. It does not matter how large or small you are, but how is your body functioning? If you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney malfunction, lung congestion, thyroid malfunction, etc. – then size may be a part of it (whether large or small), and should be part of the treatment plan. We also have to find ways to give girls and women more avenues to self-esteem, achievement, and worthiness. We need to work on “selfesteem plans” for ourselves and others, and realize that this is ongoing throughout life. As you age, you will not look or act 18 forever, and so growth and development continues into the 10th decade (100). African-American women tend to think they are the only ones with appearance issues, and so the chart following was devised to illustrate that this is and has been a worldwide phenomenon. 2 Men have appearance issues also, but they do not appear to be as pronounced as in women. When we see young men take steroids to “bulk up” and endanger their lives, appearance and self-esteem issues are at work. Men are now getting cosmetic surgery just as women are. So, there is also some male gender striving for an “ideal.” However, so far they are overshadowed by the women, who are coping with society’s pressures. WOMEN AND APPEARANCE: ATTITUDES AND DIFFERENCES - CHART (Note: Attitudes are general and do not account for individual or sub-group differences.) Racial/Ethnic Groups & Subsets Hair General Body Specific Body Concerns Asian Naturally long, straight & strong Admire tighter curls Naturally short May use breast implants Small to medium-sized body Admire long legs, long neck In general, admire tallness Operation to “unfold” eyes Dislike body hair May try to get curly hair styles May use powder to lighten skin Subset: Asian Indians & Pakistanis Naturally long, straight to loose curl Limited hair modification Small, medium-sized, or large rounded body In general, admire tallness May use breast implants Admire long & big legs Some may use skin lighteners Subset: Pacific Islanders Straight to curly hair, with loose or tight curls, long tendency Not much hair modification Short to medium body Admire all breast sizes Stout women may be admired among some groups Black Americans & Caribbeans Natural tight or loose curl, tends to be naturally shorter Many try to straighten hair Admire long hair All body types May use breast implants Stout women may be admired Admire big legs & large buttocks Some may use skin lighteners 3 Africans (West, East, South) Natural tight or loose curl, tends to be naturally shorter Many try to straighten hair Some groups admire long hair, others prefer short All body types Stout women may be admired Admire large buttocks Some may use skin lighteners White/Euro-American Naturally straight hair, tending toward thinness (some have curly hair) Admire blondness Admire more body & curl All body types Admire thinness – may starve to be thin Subsets from Eastern Europe, the Alps, or Italy/Greece may admire larger women May use breast implants Tend to admire thinness Shave to get rid of body hair Admire long legs Tan for darker skin Arabic/Middle Eastern Straight to curly hair May straighten hair Tendency toward short rounded body types In general, admire tallness May use breast implants Stout women may be admired Admire long legs Latina/Hispanic Naturally straight to tight curls May straighten hair Long hair admired All body types May use breast implants Stout women may be admired Admire big legs Admire large buttocks Some may use skin lighteners Native American/ American Indian Naturally straight & strong hair, some groups have curling tendencies Little hair modification Tend toward tallness May use breast implants Admire muscular women Admire long legs Alaskan Natives Naturally straight & strong hair Little hair modification Usually medium height Stout women may be admired 4 THE ROLE OF COLORISM “Colorism” is the judging and ranking of a person by skin pigmentation. In this discussion I speak of intragroup colorism, which means in-group ranking by shade (also called shadeism). Among European groups, blue-eyed blondes have been preferred. However, European women have worked hard to extend the parameters of what is considered “beautiful,” and they have met with some success. They have more of a problem with size, with more European societies accepting slender women than stout women. African-Americans have long had problems with colorism. This is also true of CARIBBEAN and SOUTH AMERICAN peoples although it shows up differently. It has been noted to a lesser extent in Caribbean Islands, where class seems to be more of a divide than skin color or long hair. However, a number of people from the Caribbean Islands and South American countries deny this, stating that both men and women were told by family to “marry light.” As an example, TV actress Eva Longoria (of Mexican descent) was ridiculed by her family as being “too dark” and was advised to “marry light.” In many South American countries like Brazil or Columbia, job ads regularly said “good appearance” which means “light skin” – particularly true when advertising for women in leading positions. This is lessening somewhat through the election of Native American leaders, and a rise in “indigenous pride.” In Brazil, you can no longer advertise for “good appearance” or “light-skinned workers.” However, color prejudice still perists, and in most South American countries you can see the darker colored people doing a lot of the heavy work – with the lighter colored people more likely behind desks. African-Americans have had a tradition of skin color awareness, and discrimination in some instances. There are standard jokes about the dark-skinned professional man and his light-skinned wife. At Colleges and Universities such as Howard, the “paper bag” test was used to exclude members from sororities, fraternities, and exclusive clubs. (If one were darker than a brown paper bag, they didn’t get in.) Women were judged more harshly than men, and had “bending criteria.” That is, if a young woman was very dark but had natural long hair, an exception might be made. Also, exceptions would be made if her family had money (through the funeral business, the beauty business, other business, or even criminal activity [running numbers, gambling, bolita {Louisiana}, etc.] ). This skin color differential supposedly dated from slavery, when light-skinned children of masters (and some mistresses) received preferential treatment. Much has been made about the differences between house slaves and field slaves. Actually, 5 it depended upon the family you “belonged” to or the plantation where you were. In a number of instances, enslaved house workers were better treated than field workers. In other cases, house slaves were tied up in the basement or attic and tortured to death. Field slaves could hear them screaming and be glad they were out in the field. Field slaves generally had the night to themselves. House slaves were on call 24 hours a day. Frederick Douglass’ cousin had her neck broken by the mistress from a blow with a heavy pole when she dropped the baby. She had been kept awake for 16 hours straight and denied sleep. Also, work conditions were flexible. You might be a favored house slave, but if extra emergency hands were needed to get in the crops, you had to hit the field. So, treatment depended upon place and conditions. During racial segregation, many Whites preferred light-skinned Blacks, but others avoided them or committed hate crimes against them, because they represented a probable blood relationship. Once again, treatment was a mixed bag and light skin was not always an advantage. During the Black Power movement, there was a conscious effort to overcome colorism, with the “Black Is Beautiful” declaration and the elevation of dark-skinned women. However, we seem to have returned to light preferences, as shown by the light-skinned long-haired hip-shaking women in popular videos, who still get no respect and are referred to simply as “hos.” Sometimes “lightness” and “darkness” seem to be arbitrary. About 20 years ago, I was rejected at a party for being both too light and too dark. One man said to me, “I generally like sisters lighter than you are.” About an hour later, another man said, “You seem to be nice, but I’m looking for a real dark sister.” (Why was it necessary to say anything at all???) Also parameters seem to be changing. People who would not be considered “light” years ago seem to be considered light today. This is also complicated by the fact that in the USA, “one drop” of African ancestry made one “black,” even if one were a blue-eyed blonde. Recent Oscar award-winner Lupita Nyong’o talks about wanting to be lighter skinned when she was a girl, and being influenced by top fashion model Alek Wek, originally from Sudan. (Look up Alek, who makes $2,000-4,000 per hour modeling, with her own handbag line.) Even in her native country, Kenya, Lupita was told she was too dark to get a husband. Now, Lupita herself is serving as a role model for girls around the world. 6 COLORISM IS INTERNATIONAL Colorism is a factor in ASIA. Colorism shows up in India and Pakistan, where ads for brides and grooms say “lightskinned.” Women in India buy the “Fair & Lovely” cream, and men buy “Fair & Handsome” (to help with business advancement and promotions). Colorism has affected more of Asia, where a number of women in Thailand and Korea have developed serious skin diseases by using heavy bleaching creams (to get rid of the yellow or brown). In Asia, these creams are known as “fairness creams.” Southeast Asian Indians have joked that Miss America Nina Davuluri (2014) would be too dark to win a contest in India. The Indian producer and star of “The Mindy Project,” Mindy Kaling, was told by other Indians that she was “too dark and ugly” to be on TV representing them. Miss India (2013) went on Indian TV to state that she would not use “fairness creams” in spite of the fact that bleaching companies offered to pay her large amounts to speak for them. Actress Nandita Das has started a “Dark Is Beautiful” campaign. Interestingly enough, a number of Indian women have been positively influenced by Michelle Obama, her fashion style and appearance, and her esteem in the world. In the China state TV version of “Ugly Betty,” the star was given a tan to make her less attractive. One of the other characters chides her and says, “See, I told you to stay out of the sun. Look how dark you are!” So, we can see that the epidemic of colorism has infected the world, based on a history of being conquered and colonization. The bleaching phenomenon has reached AFRICA, where women in Senegal, Ghana, and other countries are actively using bleaching creams. Presently, Nigerian pop singer Dencia is raking in the money with her very popular skinwhitening cream “Whitenicious,” (actual name), stating that “white means pure.” Men in Cameroun now pay higher “bride prices” for lighter “bleached” brides. In Kenya, beauty parlors push “whitening treatments,” with injections, and the beauticians do the injections. In Africa, Asia, and South America, these creams have large amounts of mercury, much more than the 2% allowed by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Hydroquinone, another harmful product completely banned in Europe, is also used. (In the USA one may use 2%.) This means that these women are setting themselves up for long-term skin discoloration and disease, possible damage to internal organs through skin absorption, probably serious skin impairment in old age, and possible cancer. Now, women in South America are using injections of glutathione, (1500 mg., which is very high), which will directly impact the body internally – and using it on children as well to lighten them. One young Colombian mother was injecting her 3-year- 7 old son and her 5-year-old daughter, explaining that they would both make better marriages and get better jobs if they were not “dark and ugly.” Imagine the internal damage to body organs that these injections are doing! Ironically, there is another side! In looking at the other side, many fair-skinned people in Europe and the USA overuse tanning products, tanning beds, and other means of getting darker that may cause skin cancer. The Swedish Cancer Society has started the “Go With Your Own Glow” campaign in Sweden to combat the extensive use of high ultraviolet tanning beds at recreation centers, which may cause radiation overload, cancer, and erythema (severe skin-reddening in patches). The Government of Norway wants to pass legislation against sunbeds (over great public objections), due to “a tenfold increase in cancer.” Therefore, “colorism” or the “bleaching syndrome” is one that we have to fight worldwide: by raising awareness of skin disorder, and by finding new ways to awaken self-esteem and empowerment. The following presentations show the skin bleaching phenomenon in men and women, and the need for considering the breaking down of appearance stereotypes at every age. Women are under more pressure to be “lighter,” but the trend covers both genders. You Tube Take a Look at the Following on YouTube (each one is about 5 minutes) – try to look at all: -Fair & handsome Emani fairness creams, for men and women (several versions, by fairandhandsome or Bollywood, pay attention to the ones for men – light men are called “hey handsome”) -Why are Indians obsessed with fairness? (by ndtv) -fair and lowly spoof by Nicholas Kharkongor – some of the readers’ comments here are also interesting -Sammy Sosa bleaching his skin (by CrisM11) – see readers’ comments also -Chasing fair skin, Ivorians ignore whitening cream ban by AFP news -Bondi Sands Ultra Dark Review and Demo by Khia Chagas -Self-esteem: A girl like me, by Shani Harris -How women are portrayed in hip-hop videos (by Southside Tokyo) -Girls self-esteem, A Dove film, by abhmartineau 8 -I’m sick of being told I’m pretty for a Black girl by Aisha Curry -Dove pro-age film by Ogilvy -Ernestine Shepherd: bodybuilding at 80 by Great Big Story -World’s Fittest Grandma by Patryn World
Purchase answer to see full attachment