Beauty among African

American women

Social Issue Research ProjectETHS 2410Fall 2015

Tuesday Kelsch

Social Issue• Beauty Among African American

Women• I decide to choose this as a social issue

because I felt like it was a real problem not only among African American women, but women of every race. The perception of beauty among women has always been a problem and is something that needs to change.

Scholarly Research #1

• The Beauty Ideal: The Effects of European Standards on Black Women

Susan L. Bryant• This article spoke of the ideas African American

women are beginning to think about themselves due to this Eurocentric perception of Beauty.- This article taught me that there is much more to an individual then just the color of their skin.- This gives me many ideas for creating an intervention. It helps me realize that women do need an outlet and safe place to discuss there feelings on the matter without feeling judged.

Scholarly Research #2

• The Politics of Black Womens’ HairVanessa King & Dieynaba Niabaly

• This article was very interesting it talked about African American hair and how it was a major part of the culture and lifestyle.- In this article I learned that often times women of light skin were treated better then those of dark skin.- This gives me idea for the intervention. I want to make sure that everyone knows they are all beautiful. Everyone is equal and no one is better than anyone else.

Scholarly Research #3

• “I am not my hair! Or am I?” Black Women’s Transformative Experience in their Self Perception of Abroad and at home.

Yolanda Chapman• This article was about African American women, there hair,

and the perception of beauty they experienced both inside the family and out.-In this article I learned that in Africa hair was a way to express their creativity, individuality, and social status.- An idea I can take away from this for my intervention is the idea of acceptance. I want women to realize that there image is who they are, and it is beautiful. I don’t want these women walking away from the intervention feeling ashamed of their own body or self image.

Intervention• Help change the perception women have about

beauty.• Outline

- Gathering of women to discuss beauty.-All women of every age and race are invited.- The goal is to get all women not just women of African American decent to realize that you are beautiful just the way you are, and you don’t need to change for anyone.- It would cost about 15-20 dollars for snacks and that’s it.

Resistance to the Intervention

• Resistance I may possibly encounter is people who feel that the Eurocentric ideal of beauty is correct.- People who may resist this would be women who are afraid to be who they naturally are, or men who feel that being natural is not beautiful.- What I could do to address this resistance is talk to them and hopefully convince them that there needs to be a change. Perception of beauty can not remain the same, because it is destroying women’s self esteem.

Support for the Intervention

• Support I may gain for this intervention is encouragement from women and men around me who desire to see a change in the beauty perceptions.-People who would support would be any women who is tired of feeling inadequate for these fake ideas of beauty, and any man who feels that women don’t have to change themselves to met these fake ideas.

• My intervention would simply be a gathering of women every Thursday in the Month of January to discuss their ideas of beauty and what It means to them.

Impact of the Intervention

• The lasting impact I would like to see for this intervention is women changing their ideas on beauty. I want them to realize that beauty is not what they see in the media, but rather what they see inside.

• This would be incredibly important for the African American community because there is always struggles among women and there feelings towards beauty.

Reference• Bryant, Susan L. The beauty ideal: The effects of

European standards of beauty on black women. 2013.

• King, Vanessa, and Dieynaba Niabaly. “The politics of black Womens’ hair.” Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University. 2015.

• Chapman, Yolanda Michele. “I am not my hair! Or am I?”: Black women’ s

• Transformative experience in their self perceptions of abroad and at home. 2015