...Fashion, Racechange and Cultural Tourism Race, Identity, and Public Culture Popular cultural representations, in particular those in the fashion industry, have recently reinvented a historically loaded image in their performances: blackface.1 In the past several years, blackface and other images of physical transformations of race have appeared in a number of high and popular fashion contexts including a “yellowface” fashion show in Shanghai sponsored by Karl Lagerfeld, supermodel Heidi Klum photographed wearing only chocolate syrup, an issue of French Vogue featuring a white model in black body paint and elaborate “African-inspired” costuming, a photograph in V Magazine of two models, one in blackface and one white, wrestling, two episodes of America’s Next Top Model involving racial and biracial transformation, and an editorial naming American Apparel and showing a woman in blackface. Blackface, though in a contemporary form more accurately described by the term “racechange,” or the performance of one race by another (Gubar 2000), far from being taboo have become an aesthetic in the fashion industry. Though popular magazines and newspapers such as Essence and a number of fashion blogs have responded to particular instances of racial transformation, there is relatively little scholarly work on the rise of racechange in contemporary fashion. This essay attempts to fill that gap in scholarship by examining racial transformation through the lens of cultural and...
Words: 4793 - Pages: 20
...Elias Van Sickle Narratives of Identity Professor Valcik 23 October 2014 Internalized Inferiority An individual’s conception of societal norms and beliefs is developed over time through the observation of and interaction with others. In modern times, one might come to understand feminine beauty as thin rather than voluptuous through exposure to the magazines, television and other media outlets that display images of “beautiful” thin models. Simply because a belief is widespread does not make it true or moral; the exclusive portrayal of the thin woman as beautiful is an extremely narrow definition of beauty that is far from true and may be very damaging: it can negatively impact women’s self worth and leads many to attempt to change their identities to conform to society’s perverted projection of a beautiful woman’s appearance. Similarly, in the past, the widespread internalization of the false and immoral belief of white superiority and black inferiority had numerous destructive effects on blacks. Toi Derricotte, a light skinned black women who recounts her experience with racism in the memoir The Black Notebooks, and Malcom X whose life story and transformation into a racial leader are told in The Autobiography of Malcom X, both recognize the deleterious effects of internalized racism on themselves and other blacks; however, the nature of their efforts to address its harms differ, reflecting their respective visions for societal betterment. In order to fully understand...
Words: 1516 - Pages: 7
...Construction of Identity and Worldview: The Influence of Social Variables The meaning of human identity is vast and complex. Identity, for our purposes, is in part a derivation of an inseparable piece of one’s consciousness, and largely an assembly of attitudes, behaviors, values, and beliefs collected and learned during a lifetime. Individual identity, as the centerpiece of an individual’s place in society, is the mechanism through which worldviews are shaped. Identity may seem a nonessential study of little consequence in comparison to more explicit and trenchant topics, but actually is very consequential. Identities and worldviews are, after all, what have defined and created our reality as we know it. Movements toward social equality and political progressiveness have been born as a result of identities and worldviews differing from that of the collective. To study the social variables that mold identity and construct worldview is to study how our species has created our reality. Learning about the way identities and worldviews are shaped is the first step necessary in altering the formation of those identities and worldviews in order to change our thinking; to create a better and more equal reality. In some cases, such as my own, the formation of an individual’s identity is influenced by a collection of social variables typical of those within their society, as well as variables considered atypical. An absence of organized religion, Caucasian racial categorization, a culture...
Words: 2772 - Pages: 12
...The character of Pecola is the most affected by the standardized ideology of racism through the concept of beauty. The unreachable concept of white beauty victimizes Pecola and allows the African American community to also discriminate and address their self-hatred toward Pecola. In contrast to Claudia, Pecola has no self-love for herself as she always sees herself through the eyes of others and her only aspiration is to conform to the standard of beauty to be accepted in the community. The narration of the book allows readers to unfold that it was Pecola's own assumption to feel ugly and that her deep internalization of white beauty standards and their value drives her to her ultimate insanity. The character of Pecola loses or never has...
Words: 1006 - Pages: 5
...perceived as children of subjugated Asian women that were shamefully dominated by Western imperialists in history, they are now viewed as internationally ideal. To elucidate, foreign imperialism to East Asia has caused economic ties that have influenced Asian popular culture through mainstream media and entertainment that is based on Western culture and their standard of beauty, which is Caucasian. However, global businesses search for any kind of marketing that will entice their target audience, which is now the European-Asian spokespersons and entertainers that provide an opportunity to reach out to audiences that were once racially divided. Their international appeal by the media has created a beauty standard and has inspired Asians, mostly in East Asia to dye their hair, wear colored contacts, or surgically widen they eyes to resemble more European looking eyes. European and Asian mixes are becoming the role models for Asians in Asia, where multiracial people are hardly found, and therefore portrayed as a valuable rarity, redefining the Asian perspectives of what makes beautiful Asians. In conclusion, this new identity is used to represent Asia as they become more prevalent in the global market and advertise internationally through the media. [EURASIAN STARS] Mixed race people have been the product of the United State’s belief in the “melting pot” where different cultures...
Words: 2345 - Pages: 10
...Running head: RACIALIZED REPRESENTATIONS OF FEMALE BEAUTY 1 Racialized Representations of Female Beauty in Popular Culture (Name) University of New Mexico RACIALIZED REPRESENTATIONS OF FEMALE BEAUTY Racialized Representations of Female Beauty in Popular Culture 2 For the past 22 years People magazine has composed a list of the 50 most beautiful people. The list typically includes movie and television stars, musicians, British royalty, models, and television personalities. Every year the magazine crowns the year’s “most beautiful” and features them on the cover. Of the 22 most beautiful 19 have been women and out of the 19 women 16 have been White. This signals to People’s readers that beautiful means White and everything else does not equate beauty. However, this is not unique to People or even magazines like it, but instead represents a larger trend that is present in all forms of Western popular culture. In the various mediums of popular culture, ideologies about female beauty are exceedingly prevalent and constantly managed and reproduced. These ideologies carry with them the notion that in order to obtain ideal female beauty one must be very thin, young, have long hair, and wear expensive or revealing clothing (Stern, 2004). In addition to this there is also a raced definition of beauty, which predominates Western popular culture and dictates that White women with light hair and eye color can only attain true beauty. By looking closely at fashion magazines, television...
Words: 3876 - Pages: 16
...the mentioned points above, I believe that western culture leads women’s eating disorders through media and personal relationships with westerners. I found specific researchers and their studies to support and explain my possition: a essay, entitled “The Globalization of Eating Disorders” written by Susan Bordo from Gilbert H. Muller’s book The New Worlds Reader, an research article published in the magazine International Journal Of Eating Disorders entitled “Boday Image and Eating Disturbance Among South Asian-American Women: The Role of Racial Teasing”, by Dana Sahi Iyer and Nick Haslam, and the seventh chapter, entitled “Sociocultural Influences: The Impact of Western Culture on Eating and Body Image Disturbances”, of the book Too Fat or Too Thin: A Reference Guide to Eating Diorders by Cynthia R Kalodner. During reading three resources, I come up with question how western culture impacts eating disorders due to the standards of beauty among women through media and personal connections. Susan Bordo argues that the globalization of eating disorders crosses the economic levels of countries, races, genders, classes, and ages in her essay. She believes that eating disturbances become universal events in both developed and developing nations. The foundation causes of global phenomena rely on western media that...
Words: 1277 - Pages: 6
...to Eating disorders, Plastic surgery, and or suicide. The purpose of my research was to explore how women of color think and feel about their bodies. Specifically, how Black women define beauty by means of variety of different variables such as body shape, skin complexion, and...
Words: 850 - Pages: 4
...traditionally refers to a body that a man cannot touch. In both “The Storm” and “Desiree’s Baby,” Kate Chopin transforms the meaning of the color white. In “The Storm,” Calixta’s body is described as white on multiple occasions, representing beauty and sexual desire. Many of her features including her neck, throat, and breasts are described as white. Similarly in “Desiree’s Baby,” Armand Aubigny bases the worth of a person primarily on his or her race. In his eyes, nothing was more beautiful and desirable than being purely white. Through the use of metaphors and imagery, Kate Chopin uses the color white to represent passion, beauty, and desire. “Desiree’s Baby” explores issues of racial prejudices in Louisiana during the slavery era. During this time period, there was absolutely no tolerance for sexual relationships between people of different skin colors. It was a difficult time not only for blacks but also for women because of the dominance white men had over them. Armand Aubigny falls in love with the beautiful Desiree and they have a son together. Armand quickly abandons Desiree and their son when he realizes the child is of black and white heritage, immediately believing that Desiree is the one to blame and that she must be black. Armand’s racial prejudices are used against him at the end of the story when he realizes that he is of the very race that he despises the most. “The Storm" challenges commonly accepted views on marriage, desire and relationships. “The Storm,” presents...
Words: 1152 - Pages: 5
...Racism and Violence in American Literature Racial tension between Black and White Americans has been viewed as one of the darkest chapters in the American history. The issue has been discussed in various forms of the media during the time. Literature is one of the most efficient means where racial discrimination is described in a very vivid yet precise way. The story “That Evening Sun” by William Faulkner and the play “Dutchman” by Amiri Baraka are two of several works of American literature that addresses the matter. Regardless of their different genres, these two works have employed many poetic devices such as metaphor, imagery, symbolism and repetition in order to address several subjects that belong to the core of human baseness: racism, abuse, sexuality, exploitation and murder which can be summed in the category of violence. “Dutchman” by Amiri Baraka, which was shown for the first time in 1964, is a play that addresses strongly the racial tension between Black and White Americans. The play has used several symbols and metaphor to serve the author’s purpose of describing the extreme hostility and dirty temptation that the implausible female character, Lula, has exposed to the young black man, Clay. The apple that Lula eats can be viewed as a symbol of sexuality and indulgence that are considered illegal or immoral. “You want this? [...] Eating apples together is always the first step. Or walking up uninhabited Seventh Avenue in the twenties on the weekends. [...] Would...
Words: 1707 - Pages: 7
...reality becomes clearer and involves others with similar interests. In explaining this theory, Bormann (1983) says that, symbolic convergence theory adds to the idea of identity formation and consciousness, he observes, ‘ If several or many people develop portions of their private symbolic worlds that overlap as a result of symbolic convergence, they share a common consciousness and have the basis for communicating with one another to create community, to discuss their common experiences, and to achieve understanding’ (102). Important themes and artifacts are identified and then used to develop the rhetorical visions. The interactions of these elements provide reality for the group and provide insights into group motives, cohesion, values and style. In the present context I would like to underline the strain of ecofeminist thought and action in the Poetry of W.B. Yeats. In this paper I have attempted to focus on W.B.Yeats’ use of Irish landscape, legends and myths in order to support the Irish revolt for independence and a separate cultural identity from the British. The identity issue becoming crucial, Yeats furthers his ecofeminist philosophy by using images and symbols that are purely Irish. They are dynamic and open ended and have historically enabled the Irish people to establish differential Identity, resist dominance and affirm group solidarity. III Since the conquest of Ireland by King Henry VIII, the Irish people were seething under foreign yoke of the British...
Words: 2266 - Pages: 10
...that a black women's beauty must embody and replicate Eurocentric features such as straight hair. This ideal of straight unnatural hair is consequently, detrimental to black women with varying degrees of textures and thickness. Parents are pressured into correcting their African American daughter's naturally "nappy" and kinky hair with harsh chemicals. Young African American girls endure the burning and tingling feeling with every relaxer, each strand becoming weaker by each application. My mother once asked by a previous daycare sitter, why my hair was not coated in the creamy crack that unkinks my coils to which she replied haughtily that it was better to be natural and my self-esteem would flourish (King.) Unfortunately for convenience sake my mom ended up applying relaxers to my hair to maintain its wilderness of new growth. This practice is commonly used to give African American girls and women a more appealing straight-haired Eurocentric look. Prolonged tension on the hair root by certain hairstyles lead to TA, which can over time result in irreversible scarring alopecia. Permanent chemical relaxers (straighteners), waves, and dyes may cause contact allergic or irritant dermatitis, chemical burns, scarring alopecia, and increased hair breakage (Rucker.) Hair relaxing causes chemical burns and unhealthy hair accompanied by the knowledge that the hair a little girl has on her head defines her. In addition to harmful chemicals there is also the identity crisis associated with...
Words: 598 - Pages: 3
...Another allusion in The Bluest Eye is the dolls test performed by Kenneth Clark and Mamie Clark along with the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. The Board of Education. Clark interviewed children using four neutral dolls - two pink and two brown; the Clarks wanted to demonstrate how children understood the significance of race in America. By a wide majority, across the board, and in different areas, black and white children preferred the pink dolls over the brown. Some children pointed how the brown doll was “bad” and the white doll was “nice.” Based upon his test, Clark testified that school segregation distorted the minds of black children to the point of self-hate (Douglas) and that the children had internalized society’s racial hierarchy...
Words: 320 - Pages: 2
...Since the emancipation, movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, the Black power movement, and the natural hair movement have all been positive, yet brief periods where Black features, especially hair, were praised and appreciated. During the 1920s and the 1930s the Harlem Renaissance was a Black cultural movement in which Black arts such as literature, music, dance, and paintings helped Blacks develop Black a new Black identity and also stimulated Black pride. Marcus Garvey, a black nationalist and one of the leaders of the Harlem renaissance movement, advocated Black woman to embrace their natural hair and encouraged Black people to reclaim an African aesthetic; “don’t remove the kinks from your hair. Remove them from your brain.” It wasn’t...
Words: 443 - Pages: 2
...of racism to become a young woman with self-dignity and identity that helps her to overcome prejudice. The context of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings focuses on the problems associated with racism that was prevalent in the southern states. Racist oppression is a common theme in the book that is portrayed by all the major characters; in fact, all the other themes in the book are closely related to racism, identity and segregation. In addition, the style and genre, and the structure of this literary work make significant contributions towards its thematic development, which focus on resistance to racism, the significance of the family, self-identity and definition and independence. Walker (95) argues that I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings is characterized by thematic unity, which is achieved using the structure adopted in the text that takes more of a thematic form rather than a chronological form. In addition, Angelou managed to emphasize on the universal ideas in her literary work irrespective of its periodic quality. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou used the major characters of the book to facilitate its thematic development identity, racism and literacy throughout the text. Basing on this assertion, this essay uses evidence from the book to affirm the role that the major characters played in the development of the major themes in the book. The first major theme in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is identity. In the course of the text, Maya is depicted as symbolic...
Words: 2539 - Pages: 11
