Which Doll Is The Ugly Doll Essay

“Which doll is the ugly doll?”
An African American child points to a dark colored doll.
“Why is that doll ugly?”
“Because he’s black.”
This was the conversation that occurred between an interviewer and a child of African American descent during the Clark Doll Experiment in 1939. In this experiment, two dolls were placed in front of multiple African American children; one doll was black while the other was white. These children were asked numerous questions including: “Which doll is the ugly doll?”, “Which doll is the pretty doll?”, “Which doll is the nice doll?”, etc. These children were given the task of determining, essentially, which doll was the most beautiful and therefore acceptable. The experiment yielded very shocking results. Majority of the children who were asked these questions tended to favor the white doll, claiming that it was both prettier and nicer because it was lighter. This experiment was conducted again in 2009 and yielded the same results.
The results of this experiment are an example of the exclusion of minority races in today’s

standards of beauty. Throughout history, the standard of beauty has been primarily associated with the possession of Eurocentric attributes. These attributes typically entail lighter skin and hair and a slim figure. Because of this beauty standard that is so apparent in today’s society—especially through the media—many woman of color are excluded from what is now considered “beautiful”. Many magazines like Vogue, Elle, W, and L’Oreal have contributed to the conformation of these European standards by whitewashing some of their featured cover stars. When publications whitewash, they are, essentially, using photo-shopping and editing tools to lighten the skin tone of an individual on a magazine picture. Examples of this concept are shown below.

In the left image above, Gabby Sidible is shown on the cover of Elle magazine. On the right, Sidible is shown again in a standard photograph. The variation between skin tones is very apparent. The magazine depicts her as lighter than what she really is in order to portray her as “beautiful” according to social standards—which are derived from Eurocentric characteristics.
Some may claim that the standards of beauty extend to all races and do not exclude minorities. However, if this was the case, publications would not whitewash individuals of color in order to make them assimilate to the European standards of beauty. Some publications even go as far as to digitally lighten the skin tones of individuals who are already on the lighter end of the spectrum in terms of skin color. Even Caucasian woman have been known to appear lighter on magazine covers than in real life. Here, Kiernan Shipka, Zendaya, and Willow Smith appear on the cover of W magazine as a result of their rising success.

The digital manipulation of these teen stars’ skin tones is extremely evident. Aside from Zendaya and Willow Smith who are both African American young women, Kiernan Shipka also appears much lighter than she really is. This kind of media portrayal illustrates the amount of conformation that society partakes in towards the ideal definition of beauty by European standards.
Minority exclusion through today's beauty standards not only affects African Americans but other races such as Middle Easterners, Hispanics, and other races that do not fit the mold of ideal beauty. One of the biggest aspects of Eurocentric attributes is lighter skin tone and a fit body. Because these races tend to have darker colored skin, they are excluded from this ideal definition of beauty that society has become so unknowingly adjusted to.

An example of other races that have been ostracized for their lack of conformation to Eurocentric beauty standards is shown in the photos above. Four covers of Elle magazine depict four actresses who are all prominent figures on daytime television. Allison Williams, Zooey Deschanel and Amy Poehler—all Caucasian women—are portrayed in full body images with very limited color correction applied. Mindy Kaling, however, is depicted in a close-up, black and white image. The fact that she is the only one out of the four who had her picture altered in some way could have been a mere coincidence; however, the fact that she is the only minority out of the four—raised by Indian parents—forces one to speculate if this was just a mere result of chance or if this was done purposefully. Aside from differences in skin tone, Kaling’s body type also deviates from the rest of the women's bodies who where put on the cover. Kaling's curvy figure excludes her from the ideal illustration of European beauty in terms of body type—a slim figure—and was therefore cropped out.
Because of these standards of beauty that have been portrayed through the media, there have been incidences of same-race discrimination. This discrimination arises because people often gain a definition of beauty from the media and other outlets then turn around and compare this definition to themselves and the people around them. One of the incidences of same-race discrimination includes some black mens’ refusal to date black woman. In a spoken word poem by Crystal Valentine & Aaliyah Jihad entitled, "To Be Black and Woman and Alive", this is discussed. In it, Valentine states, “To be woman and black is to be born knowing your beauty does not belong to you”(Valentine). This statement highlights the issue that many women of color face in trying to establish what they consider as beauty within their own races. Many are pressured by the constant reminders of what beauty is supposed to look like and the inclination to compare themselves to this working definition. They also face pressure in finding a lover of the same race because of the fact that their potential partners have also been brainwashed to look for companions based off of what today's society has deemed the ideal image of beauty. Jihad and Valentine highlight this idea in their poem:
To be woman and black…is to be the first and last person to love yourself…is to know you're not desirable to your own kind. I grew up learning to protect men who hate me (Jihad-Valentine).
In today's society, many women of color are ostracized and left undesired by men of their same ethnicity because of how far away they stand from the European standards of beauty.

As a result, they are forced to either remain without companionship or succumb to the general public’s perception of beauty; this causes many women to attempt to alter their images in order to fit the mold. In "To Be Black and Woman and Alive", Jihad confesses, “I know four brands of hydrocortisone by heart. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to lemon juice recipes for lightening skin” (Jihad). This illustrates the obstacles that many women face in an attempt to take themselves out of the category of “ugly.” Many women of color fail to acknowledge and fully embrace the pigment of their skin and all the beauty that it possesses; others, however, are able to speak proudly about their skin tone and wish to encourage others to do the

same.
Lupita Nyong’o, a Mexican-Kenyan actress, is a huge advocate for embracing cultural beauty. She spoke about this in her speech on black beauty at Essence’s seventh annual celebration of black women in Hollywood. She states, “You can't eat beauty; it doesn't feed you…finally I realized that beauty was not a thing that I could acquire or consume. It was something that I just had to be” (Nyong'o). In this, she explains that beauty is not something you go looking for and try to take possession of. Beauty is something that must be produced from within by your own standard. In a world where beauty is constantly measured and compared, it is imperative that you are able to acknowledge and embrace the unique characteristics that you believe make you beautiful. Although the general Eurocentric standards of beauty may not change, women of color must stop comparing themselves to these standards and learn to develop and accept their own standards of beauty within their own races because beauty is not bound. Beauty is fluid. Beauty has no template, and neither should we.

“This is the voice in her head that says “baby, you feel like beauty…in your own right, from your own fight, to find your own light”
-Michareen Layne