Black is beautiful
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| - | :''[[physical attractiveness ]]'' | + | '''Black is beautiful''' is a [[cultural movement]] that was started in the United States in the 1960s by [[African American]]s. It later spread beyond the United States, most prominently in the writings of the [[Black Consciousness Movement]] of [[Steve Biko]] in [[South Africa]]. Black is beautiful got its roots from the '' [[Négritude]]'' movement of the 1930s. Negritude argued for the importance of a Pan-African racial identity among people of African descent worldwide. |
| - | The characterization of a person as “beautiful”, whether on an individual basis or by community consensus, is often based on some combination of ''Inner Beauty'', which includes psychological factors such as [[personality]], [[intelligence]], [[wiktionary:Grace|grace]], [[politeness]], [[charisma]], [[integrity]], [[congruence]] and [[elegance]], and ''Outer Beauty'', (i.e. physical attractiveness) which includes physical factors, such as [[health]], [[youthfulness]], [[facial symmetry]], [[averageness]], and [[complexion]]. | + | |
| - | Standards of beauty are always evolving, based on what a culture considers valuable. Historical paintings show a wide range of different standards for beauty. However, humans who are relatively young, with smooth skin, well-proportioned bodies, and regular features, have traditionally been considered to be the most beautiful throughout history. | + | It aims to dispel the racist notion that [[black people]]'s natural features such as skin color, facial features and hair are inherently [[Ugliness|ugly]]. [[John Rock (abolitionist)|John Rock]] was long thought to be the first person to coin the phrase "black is beautiful" — during a speech in 1858—but historical records indicate that he never actually used the specific phrase on that day. The movement also encouraged men and women to stop trying to eliminate African-identified traits by [[straightening their hair]] and attempting to [[Skin whitening|lighten or bleach their skin]]. Bill Allen, a freelance writer for advertising agencies, claimed he coined the phrase in the 1950s. |
| - | A strong indicator of physical beauty is "[[averageness]]," or "[[koinophilia]]." When images of human faces are averaged together to form a composite image, they become progressively closer to the "ideal" image and are perceived as more attractive. This was first noticed in 1883, when [[Francis Galton]], cousin of [[Charles Darwin]], overlaid photographic composite images of the faces of [[vegetarian]]s and [[criminal]]s to see if there was a typical facial appearance for each. When doing this, he noticed that the composite images were more attractive compared to any of the individual images. | + | This movement began in an effort to counteract the racist notion in [[American culture]] that features typical of Blacks were less attractive or desirable than those of Whites. Research indicates that the idea of blackness being ugly is highly damaging to the psyche of African Americans, manifesting itself as [[internalized racism]]. This idea made its way into black communities themselves and led to practices such as [[Paper Bag Party|paper bag parties]]: social events which discriminated against dark-skinned African-Americans by only admitting lighter-skinned individuals. |
| - | Researchers have replicated the result under more controlled conditions and found that the computer generated, mathematical average of a series of faces is rated more favorably than individual faces. Evolutionarily it makes logical sense that sexual creatures should be attracted to mates who possess predominantly common or average features. | + | ==See also== |
| + | * [[Natural hair movement]] | ||
| + | * [[Afro]] | ||
| + | * [[Black pride]] | ||
| + | * [[Black nationalism]] | ||
| + | * [[African American culture]] | ||
| + | * [[Cool (aesthetic)]] | ||
| + | * [[Cornrows]] | ||
| + | * [[Dreadlocks]] | ||
| + | * [[Natural hair]] | ||
| + | *''[[Negro É Lindo]]'' | ||
| + | * [[Racial transformation]] | ||
| + | * [[John_Rock_(abolitionist)|John Rock]] | ||
| - | A feature of [[beautiful women]] that has been explored by researchers is a [[waist-to-hip ratio]] of approximately 0.70. Physiologists have shown that women with [[Female body shape|hourglass figures]] are more fertile than other women due to higher levels of certain female hormones, a fact that may subconsciously condition males choosing mates. | ||
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| - | People are influenced by the images they see in the media to determine what is or is not beautiful. Feminists and doctors have suggested that the ultra-skinny models featured in magazines promote [[eating disorders]], and [[internalized racism]]. | ||
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| - | The [[black is beautiful]] cultural movement sought to dispel this notion. Conversely, beauty ideals may also promote [[racial unity]]. [[Mixed race]] children are often perceived to be more attractive than their parents because their genetic diversity protects them from the inherited errors of their individual parents. | ||
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| - | The concept of beauty in men is known as '[[bishōnen]]' in [[Japan]]. Bishōnen refers to males with distinctly [[Femininity|feminine]] features, physical characteristics establishing the standard of beauty in Japan and typically exhibited in their [[pop culture]] [[Japanese idol|idols]]. | ||
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| - | === Inner beauty === | ||
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| - | '''[[Inner beauty]]''' is a concept used to describe the positive aspects of something that is not physically observable. | ||
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| - | While most species use physical traits and pheromones to attract mates, some humans claim to rely on the inner beauty of their choices. Qualities including kindness, sensitivity, tenderness or compassion, creativity and intelligence have been said to be desirable since antiquity. | ||
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Black is beautiful is a cultural movement that was started in the United States in the 1960s by African Americans. It later spread beyond the United States, most prominently in the writings of the Black Consciousness Movement of Steve Biko in South Africa. Black is beautiful got its roots from the Négritude movement of the 1930s. Negritude argued for the importance of a Pan-African racial identity among people of African descent worldwide.
It aims to dispel the racist notion that black people's natural features such as skin color, facial features and hair are inherently ugly. John Rock was long thought to be the first person to coin the phrase "black is beautiful" — during a speech in 1858—but historical records indicate that he never actually used the specific phrase on that day. The movement also encouraged men and women to stop trying to eliminate African-identified traits by straightening their hair and attempting to lighten or bleach their skin. Bill Allen, a freelance writer for advertising agencies, claimed he coined the phrase in the 1950s.
This movement began in an effort to counteract the racist notion in American culture that features typical of Blacks were less attractive or desirable than those of Whites. Research indicates that the idea of blackness being ugly is highly damaging to the psyche of African Americans, manifesting itself as internalized racism. This idea made its way into black communities themselves and led to practices such as paper bag parties: social events which discriminated against dark-skinned African-Americans by only admitting lighter-skinned individuals.
See also
- Natural hair movement
- Afro
- Black pride
- Black nationalism
- African American culture
- Cool (aesthetic)
- Cornrows
- Dreadlocks
- Natural hair
- Negro É Lindo
- Racial transformation
- John Rock
