In this essay I will be discussing and analyzing the social construction, related group and self-perception of the female black body in the context of our current global society.
Before we start, the history of black females and their bodies was very unequal, painful and racist due to historical events such as slavery where their bodies where whipped and scarred if they did something wrong, also their black bodies were discriminated and judged by whites as fat, ugly or unusual, but in the black female’s tradition and culture their curves were a sign of beauty and perfection. That how ever has changed in our current society, where most black females are trying to look more like the western beauty ideal of being skinny and tall instead of their traditional bodily ideals of having big and curvy
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To form and create my theory I’ll be using the additional reading “The Black body in colonial and postcolonial Public discourse” from Learning Unit 2. In the text the author states that the blacks are defined as subhuman and that specifically the female black body was classified as a reproductive machine used by whites to create black workers for their farms (Frederico, S and Haugaa Engh, M. 2015, Pg. 13 Para. 4). That is what we call slavery against a race. To support my theory, according to my independently sourced relevant academic article (ISRAA) “The socially constructed status of black women in America: A critical analysis based on major works by black American sociologists”, a race is defined by the basis of a human’s physical appearance (D Williams, 2014, Pg. 7 Para. 2). My ISRAA also says that slavery was the consequence of the need to create an arrangement of inequality used to differentiate races. (D Williams, 2014, Pg.7 Para.
In Kimberly Springer’s anthology, Skin Deep, Spirit Strong: The Black Female Body in American Culture, she has different articles in the book that are written by a variety of women. The articles in the book break down and discuss areas of history and time-periods that shaped the representation and current understanding of the black female body. Many ideals of how society preserves the black female body to be is based on historical context that the authors in Springers book further explain. The two articles that I am going to focus on are Gender, Race and Nation: The Comparative Anatomy of “Hottentot” Women in Europe 1815-17 and Mastering the Female Pelvis: Race and the Tools of Reproduction.
David Walker describes the fact that slaves are humans just as much as their White American masters are. He states the pressing matter is that “You [colored people] have to prove to the Americans and the world, that we are MEN and not brutes, as we have been represented and by millions treated.” (Page 33) He asks the question “How can those enemies but say that we and our children are not of the HUMAN FAMILY, but were made by our Creator to be an inheritance?” Although nowadays many people agree that black people have the same anatomy as whites do, but back then many people did not view blacks as equals to themselves.
Every individual cares about how they appear to others; their shape and in this informal, narrative essay titled Chicken-Hips, Canadian journalist and producer Catherine Pigott tells her story on her trip to Gambia and her body appearance. In this compelling essay the thesis is implicit and the implied thesis is about how women are judged differently on their appearance in different parts of the world, as various cultures and individuals have a different perception on what ideal beauty is. In this essay Pigott writes about her trip to Africa specifically Gambia and how upon arriving there she was judged to be too slim for a woman. She goes to write about how differently she would be judged back home by mentioning “in my county we deny ourselves
The representation of black female bodies in contemporary culture rarely critique images of black female sexuality which were part of the cultural objectifying of nineteenth century racism and which still shape perceptions today. Pop culture and the media industry Plays a role in how society exemplify how imagines of black female bodies are scrutinized by the images portrayed by the culture of today. Hooks emphasize the representation and distortion stems early American slavery. In her reference to Sander Gilman’s Black Bodies White Bodies shows the way black women bodies were forced to serve as an icon for black sexuality in the 18th century. Standing on top of boxes showing their goods for consumer to see.
With this myth, the stereotype of hypersexuality of black women arose. From the beginning of these observations of black women, their bodies were seen as physiologically and anatomically different (58).... ... middle of paper ... ...
Beyoncé who is a pop icon shows off her body, and the females in the African American culture craves to have a body like hers. There are a lot of famous women who execute plastic surgery to have a bigger butt and smaller waist. There have been reports of females
This essay is concerned with issues of identity, body image and the politics of hair within African American culture. It discusses the lived experiences of a number of African American women and is no way generalizable to all African American women. Nonetheless, body image and hair politics are prominent features in African American culture because they have deep historical roots and still feature in present day. Body image is generally understood as a mental image of one’s body as it appears to others (Featherstone 2010). This mental image produces body consciousness, which Samantha Kwan describes as an amplified mindfulness that one’s body does not conform to hegemonic cultural standards (Kwan 2010). In today’s modern context, hegemonic cultural norms are reproduced and widely disseminated by the mass media with the help of new technologies. These new technologies Elliott’s discusses, with some in the form of satellite television and other widely utilized media, give viewers unprecedented opportunities to view and scrutinize their favorite celebrities in close proximity (Elliott 2010).
The existing literature on ethnic and racial studies among African-Americans has focused on issues pertaining to beauty and body politics especially on natural hair. Spellers and Moffitt assert that the body politics that one assumes, guides how one relates to a particular political ideology in a particular society. Black natural hair is considered as a way by which the true identity of African women can be understood (Jacobs-Huey). It is a symbol of power among black women; it influences how people are treated by others.
Altabe, M. (1996). Ethnicity and Body Image: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis. Tampa, Florida: University of South Florida.
In order to justify keeping an entire race of people enslaved, slaveholders claimed that blacks were inferior to whites, placing them on the same level as livestock and other animals. “There were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being, and were all subjected to the same narrow examination” (73). The fact is, whites are not naturally superior over blacks. Therefore, slaveholders used a variety of contrived strategies to make their case that blacks were inherently inferior to whites. To...
The female body image and what a person should, or could, look like in marketing and advertising is a controversial topic. Beauty sells and is to some extent a problem when the media produces images for women that seem unrealistic. Body image is a critical mental health issue for young girls. It is a concern widespread among women of color, specifically among Latinas. Increasing diversity and perceptions of beauty have driven the need for dialogue on the scrutiny Latinas face across all industries regarding their bodies and appearance.
The American colonies were established with the idea of freedom and liberty to all. This goal, however, is darkened by a contradictory event: racism. Racism against African Americans (Negroes) in America was a by-product of permanent and inhumane enslavement of the black population. This type slavery was built upon the need for the American colonies to achieve economic prosperity and social stability. The slavery prior to these social and economic problems was equal to that of white slavery. Black and white slaves and indentured servants received the same treatments, given equal punishments and working conditions. Both races were regarded as equally low in status and slavery itself in general carried a term of negative connotation. Free black men held the same Englishmen rights as fellow whites and were seen in every aspect as equal to whites. Only when the colonies began to strip blacks of all their titles and properties and reduce them to the title chattel, or property, because of the need to solve economic and societal problems did racism emerge to define all blacks as slaves.
Black and Female: The Challenge of weaving an identity.? Journal of Adolescents July 1995 19. 466.
Chicago, made in 2002, directed by Rob Marshall is an outstanding movie musical that definitely deserves to be a best picture nominee primarily for its point of view to capture emotion, story telling technique, and its impactful plot. Being a converted musical, Rob Marshall does an exquisite job portraying the true plot line allowing this move to be considered better than the stage version.
Exact Beauty: Exploring Women's Body Projects and Problems in the 21st Century. Mandell, Nancy (5th ed.). Feminist Issues: Race, Class, and Sexuality (131-160). Toronto: Pearson Canada, Inc. Schulenberg, Jennifer, L. (2006).