HCP Problem statement

Competing tensions of the problem:

Beauty standards are implemented all over the world and effect all women. From
skin-whitening products in Asia to “inappropriate” hairstyles and hair types of Black women,
women of color, specifically Asian and Black women, are hit the hardest with this. They are
continually taught to see themselves as what they aren’t instead of what they are. But what
exactly is this beauty standard? This social construct revolves around the central idea of the
Western concept of beauty; consisting of pale skin, straight hair and a slim physique. I plan to
further uncover this “standard” of beauty of how it originates, the overall effect it has specifically
in the category of beauty and lifestyle, and connect it to the present day topics of colorism and
lack of inclusion of Black and Asian women.

Audience:

For the ones who notice and are affected by this standard, the white elephant in the
room needs to be dealt with. Whether it is stated bluntly in your face or microaggressions from
society, there are constant reminders of who we are not and can result in emotional and mental
negative feelings about one’s identity. It is not often where you see a Black or Asian woman
modeling for an ad or walk inside the beauty store and see that cosmetic companies cater to
your skin tone, and this is because of the lack on inclusion and underrepresentation within these
areas. And if there is a Black/Asian model, there is a high probability that the model would be of
the lighter complexions for that race would be chosen. So even when there is “inclusion and
diversity,” it is often countered by colorism. The fact that even when we are represented and
society claims that it is “inclusive” because of this, it is not entirely inclusive. If you make
makeup for black girls, make them for all black girls, dark and light, not just light.
But there are some people who disagree saying that the standard of beauty is a
imaginary and being blown out of proportion. Marketing and legal teams of beauty and lifestyle
companies counter the argument of lacking inclusion and diversity through the topic of
colorblindness- that they do not see “color” but that everyone is human. (even though this
proves the point of the other viewpoint.) In addition to this, those who are not directly impacted
by this say that the negative effects of the beauty standard is imaginary or self inflicted.
Because they do not have to deal with it or have not dealt with it before, their ignorance or lack
of knowledge perpetuates the standard. They also argue that there are ​new​ cosmetic
companies that cater to WOC coming out (e.g. Fenty Beauty) so that makes the issue not an
issue anymore.

Terms of the problem:

 This is a social and cultural problem that continues to thrive within our society. While
there is no legislation that says cosmetic companies and advertisements have to include women
of color or how they should run their company, there are rules about how women should look
like in the workforce. For examples, many companies have rules on how their Black workers
wear their hair; oftentimes sending them home for “inappropriate” hairstyles (discrimination). But
what is considered inappropriate and inappropriate if their natural hair and hair texture can only
be worn in specific ways, unlike straight hair?
Many can’t do much to regulate this standard, but they can stand up for what they
believe in. Advocating for self-love and inclusion for all is one way to start. Another way is to
report situations like hair discrimination in the workplace. Taking it up with the legal team so that
the worker can file for discriminatory practices of the company can prevent it from happening
again and be used as a precedent for other companies.

Situation of the problem:

We can find this problem almost everywhere in society; from the ads we see in person or
online to the makeup products when we walk into a beauty store. In every Asian country, there
is a high percentage of skin whitening products used among the population. There is a strong
cultural pressure to stay white or close to pale because the more pale you are, the more
beautiful you become. This hits home to me because I personally had experience with this, and
it is still a struggle that continue to battle everyday. Also, going back to the situation of the
inappropriate hair and hairstyles, it is unfortunate but still happens frequently. Many
organizations from all around the country such as the Black Lives Matter, have noticed this and
have used their platform to shed light on the topic.

Multi Model evidence:

A lot of people do not see the the effects of the Eurocentric beauty standard and good
example that allows people to see it for themselves is the popular makeup guru on YouTube,
Nyma Tang. Nyma Tang has created a large fan base on her account with more than 600,000
subscribers and counting and the reason behind her popularity is because of the type of
makeup videos she makes. Nyma Tang is a black woman with an intense color of melanin
which makes it for her to find makeup products that are her shade. She struggled with this
problem for years, often being too dark to find anything that suits her, but now uses that to her
advantage. She has started a playlist on her channel called the “The Darkest Shades Series”
that tests different makeup companies “darkest” shade to see if it is up to the test. While this is
meant to be humorous, it clearly represents the topics of lack of inclusion and colorism that I
have previously mentioned.
Companies make darker shades in order to try and claim that it is for “everyone” but
sometimes it’s not. And that is what Nyma does, she proves whether the company lives up to it’s
claim or not and her reviews are authentic because viewers can see if it does or does not fit her.
It is one thing to hear about it but to see the effects in person can challenge one’s perspective
on the issue.

Two guiding questions:

- If women of color have been affected by this throughout history, why is it now that the
topic has had light shed on it enough for it to take the spotlight in the beauty and lifestyle
category? And why is it now that companies, business and makeup, take action to
change their previous ways?
- If the topic has not been as important and known as it is now, would be still be living in a
society where all that we see are tall, slim, white women on the covers and ads in all
aspects of society?

Annotated Bibliography

Phoenix, Aisha. "Colourism and the Politics of Beauty." ​Feminist Review​, vol. 108, no. 1, Nov.
2014, pp. 97-105. EBSCO​host​, doi:10.1057/fr.2014.18.

Phoenix offers an honest review of the politics of beauty from her perspective and how it
connects to events in society today. She brings up the topics of skin whitening, the history of
colorism, and the lack of inclusion which is exactly what I want to shed light on in my essay.
This article goes deeper into the facts of beauty of how it started and why it continues to
give the readers an in depth background of the topic and why it is relevant today. With this, I
hope to explain to my readers in a more efficient and effective way for them to understand the
past and present of beauty standards.

Mbure, Wanjiru G. and Jennifer Stevens Aubrey. "A Transnational Analysis of Skin Tone Ideals
in Cosmetic Advertisements in Women's Lifestyle Magazines." ​Howard Journal of
Communications​, vol. 28, no. 4, Oct-Dec2017, pp. 339-355. EBSCO​host​,
doi:10.1080/10646175.2017.1300964.

The analysis by Mbure and Aubrey sheds light on the topic of skin tone and complexion
within the makeup industry to emphasize the point of Eurocentric beauty standards and its ideals.
While doing their research and analysis, they found that even with women of color in cosmetic
advertisements, the women were closely related to the skin tone of the Eurocentric standard,
having lighter complexions.
This real world situation and analysis of research further proves the point that the effect
that these Eurocentric beauty standards happen everywhere, and even when you think it isn’t
happening (black women in magazines) there a subtle effects used to make their skin lighter than
it actually is.

Sekayi, Dia. "Aesthetic Resistance to Commercial Influences: The Impact of the Eurocentric
Beauty Standard on Black College Women." ​Journal of Negro Education​, vol. 72, no. 4,
Fall2003, pp. 467-477. EBSCO​host​,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=12941875&site=ehost-live&scope=
site.

Sekayi dives into the topic of Eurocentric beauty standards and how it specifically effects
black women while in college. Sekayi specifically interviews black women who are in college
and also works part-time jobs to get their feedback on how the beauty standard affects them in
their everyday life.
Here Sekayi explores what the participants of her study has to say and explains how and
why it happens. Topics such as hair, clothing, and how one presents oneself to others is talked
about. This helps my topic because it paves a way to point me in the correct direction to go with
my research.

.
Peltzer, Karl, et al. "The Globalization of Whitening: Prevalence of Skin Lighteners (Or
Bleachers) Use and Its Social Correlates among University Students in 26 Countries."
International Journal of Dermatology​, vol. 55, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 165-172. EBSCO​host​,
doi:10.1111/ijd.12860.

This article by Peltzer explores the statistics of whitening products used among college
students from different countries and unsurprisingly, it supports my claim and personal
experience of Asians having the highest statistic of using whitening products.
Experiencing it and having factual evidence is different and now that I have evidence for
my claim, it further proves the strength of the beauty standard. Asians have the highest use of
whitening products, specifically for skin, because of the belief that whiter/paler skin is a better
sign of social and socio economic standard.
Hope, Clover. “The Makeup Industry's Frustrating Cycle of Struggle and Progress for Women of
Color.” ​Jezebel​, Jezebel.com, 23 Aug. 2016,
jezebel.com/the-makeup-industrys-frustrating-cycle-of-struggle-and-1782880385.

The website Jezabel is an entertainment website where people can come together to talk
about different topics ranging from entertainment to the news, and for this specific article the
topic is about the struggle for women of color in the makeup industry.
It isn’t just about how hard it is to find the perfect shade, it’s about why it is hard to find
the perfect shade. How will consumers find the perfect shade when there’s no representation of
them within the industry? You need someone who understands from personal experience what it
is like because then they will know how to fix the problem. This is something I plan on talking
about in my essay and how it is a two way street where no representation != makeup for WOC
and no WOC in the makeup industry != no makeup for WOC.

Abelman, Devon. “This Woman Tests the Darkest Shades of Foundation From Different Brands
to Show How Inclusive They Really Are.” ​Allure​, Allure Magazine, 19 July 2017,
www.allure.com/story/nyma-tang-the-darkest-shade​.

Nowadays, there are cosmetic companies coming out left and right with extensions to
their current foundation shade selection claiming that they cater to women with deeper
complexions. To test these claims, YouTUbe famous makeup guru Nyma Tang put these colors
to the test by applying the product to her melanin rich skin.
By testing different products that have this promise, viewers can see the disprity in the
color selection and the struggle that women of color go through that they might not have to.