The Definition of Beauty
Skinny, blonde and white. This is how many people continue to define beauty. Since 1940, self-image has not improved as much as many people believe. It is very disappointing that the accepted social image has not changed in the past century because people who do not possess these qualities are still thought of in a negative light. Until people are able to be comfortable with themselves and their appearance in terms of race and weight, we will not see progress.
Internalized racism has been unresolved since the issue was first studied by Kenneth and Mamie Clark in 1940, when black and white children were asked to identify and choose between a black or a white doll, and most of the children chose the white doll. Back in 2005, Kiri Davis, a filmmaker, decided to recreate the experiment to see if the results had changed at all. Interestingly enough, she found that they did not differ that much from 1940.
With all the progress that has been made regarding racism in the past 75 years, will the views of the younger generation ever stop being tinted by the prejudices of their predecessors? The answer is no. Growing up in a world with even the most minimal racial discrimination bears into a child’s mind.
As long as children are able to pick up hints of racism in their childhood, they will continue to believe that the color black is negatively associated. Throughout history, idioms have been created that reiterate this, such as black magic or black sheep. Black magic is a phrase meaning “magic derived from evil forces,” and a black sheep is known to be unloved and misbehaving. There are other things as simple as being afraid of the dark that can associate black as a “bad” color.
Although this should never be accepted as a reality, and we should continue to strive for equality, racism will never fully vanish. The history that we live, learn and create is too impactful on our beliefs.
As for self-image regarding weight, there remains a need to be skinny. This is brought to light in the media by many things, including how Oprah Winfrey has been publicizing weight loss programs. Oprah is a huge inspiration to many people, especially as she shares her story of weight transformation. But while she is trying to advertise good health, she is also reiterating the need to be skinny. It is not beneficial for Oprah to be advertising weight loss programs when people are trying so hard to change social acceptance to be more comfortable with all shapes and sizes.
Unfortunately, humans tend to rely on social acceptance, and the words that they hear are soaked up to form what they believe. As difficult as this is to realize, the aspects of beauty that are known to us will never fully change because there will always be a superior view that stands out. While some say that there has been noticeable change in the acceptance of different definitions of beautiful, this can all be traced back to the last century, when the results of children’s definitions of beauty were the same as they are today. No matter how much effort is put in, there will always be a social image that instructs humans on acceptable ways to present ourselves and the downfalls of not possessing certain qualities.