Comments on Womanist Musings: Black Women Can Be Beautiful To

@Daisy,I don't think the act of white women tannin...

2008-08-27T01:26:54.265-04:00

@Daisy,
I don't think the act of white women tanning should in any way be perceived as an attempt to mimic or admire black skin. Tanning is done simply because having a "glow" to the skin is considered by many to be a sign of health, desirability and even wealth in some cases.
The same with putting collagen in the lips - it is done simply because in Western culture fuller lips are considered more sexual and desirable. White women don't get collagen to try and look "more black."

You're right, of course, but what about those para...

2008-08-21T14:41:50.669-04:00

You're right, of course, but what about those paradoxes, the major one being TANNING, something I can't achieve but have been harangued about all my life: GO OUT IN THE SUN AND GET SOME COLOR!!!!! I mean, the tanning industry is huge. I don't know a single white woman who AT SOME POINT has not punished her skin by trying to attain an unnatural tan, either by laying out for hours in the sun or going to a tanning salon.

I don't get that, never have. Whiteness is prized, but tanning is also. Extreme pallor in which one's blue veins are showing through and every pink/orange scar is in stark relief, is NOT attractive, and isn't really considered attractive. Hosiery is always a darker shade than the white woman wearing them.

I think this effects even men... Earlier this month, I wrote about how Johnny Winter was cut out of the WOODSTOCK movie, for being TOO WHITE (albino) and therefore considered unattractive.

What do yall think? Why this weird contradiction in beauty standards?

I'm glad you didn't delete the post. Yes, I'm sic...

2008-08-19T00:33:45.410-04:00

I'm glad you didn't delete the post. Yes, I'm sick of the "white girls dipped in tea" phenomenon of most of the black women chosen as models, although there are the occasional welcome exceptions like Wek. You're right, though, the fact that women like her are "exceptions" is part of the problem right there.

My sister has had a similar comment when she gets upset that when people want to compliment her, they tell her she looks like Lucy Liu. When in fact she looks nothing like her, but the idea of comparing her to the one Asian actress they can think of strikes people as irresistible.

"Beautiful too" reminds me of those magazines that...

2008-08-18T23:51:21.258-04:00

"Beautiful too" reminds me of those magazines that put out an occasional issue to celebrate healthy sized women or bbws. If they really thought we were just as good looking as tan twigs, they wouldn't need to make such a big deal out of it. They'd just mix us all up in the same issues without using fatness and blackness as a publicity stunt. (Us being women, I mean -- I could be considered "fat" by some but I'm as black as marshmallow fluff.)

Yes, here is one magazine out of the thousands tha...

2008-08-18T18:22:06.416-04:00

Yes, here is one magazine out of the thousands that are printed world wide, dedicated to the idea that black women can be beautiful too, why aren't we satisfied?

At the risk of looking like I'm trying to sound like I'm an enlightened white person, it really amazes me how much people with privilege don't get that the whole world caters to their privilege, and that giving more attention to people without that privilege is not any kind of special treatment. Often, it just turns out to be patronizing and continues to highlight the privileged standard.

Yeah, I've been thinking about this a lot ever since Isis's participation on America's Next Top Model was announced.

beautiful post. absolutely beautiful. It's funny b...

2008-08-18T16:38:08.831-04:00

beautiful post. absolutely beautiful. It's funny because I was discussing this exact subject with a couple of people today and the fact that the "lighter is better" notion stems from the slavery and colonial legacies. I think you summed it up very well though. Black IS beautiful!

Renee - I have had a post in drafts for nearly 2 w...

2008-08-18T08:41:54.070-04:00

Renee - I have had a post in drafts for nearly 2 weeks now on this subject - black women and beauty. I understand why you started and deleted several times. But thank you for posting this. Maybe I'll get mine done sometime this week... maybe it will just need to wait a little bit longer. But I'm feeling you on this.

One thing, though - I do use the word nappy. I have claimed it for myself and I kinda like it.