HOW WE SEE OURSELVES: THE BEAUTY MAKEUP OF THE BLACK CANADIAN WOMAN Susan-Blanche Chato A Thesis In The Department of Sociology and Anthropology Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada August 2010 © Susan-Blanche Chato, 2010 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Susan-Blanche Chato Entitled: HOW WE SEE OURSELVES: THE BEAUTY MAKEUP OF THE BLACK CANADIAN WOMAN and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Sociology) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final examining committee: ____Frances Shaver__________ Chair ____Brenda Rowe___________ Examiner ____Meir Amor_____________ Examiner ____Anthony Synnott________ Supervisor Approved by ____Bart Simon__________________ Chair of Department or Graduate Programme Director August 30, 2010 ____Brian Lewis__________________ Dean of Faculty ii ABSTRACT How We See Ourselves: The Beauty Makeup of the Black Canadian Woman Susan-Blanche Chato The concept of beauty is a prime value in North American culture yet the feminine beauty ideal has conventionally been associated with the White population, causing a dichotomy of norms between Whites and non-Whites. This thesis reviews the historical and contextual nature of beauty amongst women of African descent and the Diaspora in the works of Patricia Hill Collins, bell hooks, Malcolm X, W.E.B DuBois and many others on such topics as skin color, hair texture, health, body image and racism. To determine the continuing salience of these issues in the lives of Black women, I interviewed and surveyed ten second generation African (Black) Canadians. The qualitative data is rich but the most striking finding is that the women do not express the dichotomy between Black and White aesthetics as strongly as the American and British data would suggest. The intersubjective nature of the Black Canadian female experience highlighted a fragmented awareness of interracial and intraracial discrimination that shaped their self-identity and position in society, additionally their definition of beauty, valuing internal qualities such as intelligence and undervaluing qualities related to physical appearance. The interview data indicated that there was minimal racialization of attitudes on health and body aesthetics, and minimal emphasis on Afrocentric traits. Discussions on phenotypes like hair texture and skin color demonstrated the confusion that exists in rationalizing the use of racialized terminology. The majority of respondents indicated mild concerns over their body based on the Body Shape Questionnaire and healthy self-esteem on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the many people who were integral to this project. First, I would like to thank God for placing me on this journey and for teaching me a new meaning of strength, perseverance and focus. I would also like to express my gratitude to my thesis committee. An immense thanks to Dr. Anthony Synnott whose resourcefulness, patience and guidance illuminated the many dimensions of this project. His encouragement and experience throughout the research process was invaluable. Special thanks to Professor Brenda Rowe and Dr. Meir Amor for their insightful suggestions, unwavering support and constructive dialogue. I am deeply grateful to all the respondents for sharing their thoughts and stories. Their voices were the motivating force in completing this project and they have enlightened me to the new possibilities linked to this subject matter more than they will ever know. A special thanks to my father, Dr. Martin Chato for his patience editing the drafts and his sound input. Also, thanks extend to Dr. Roger MacLean for his foresight, optimism and reassurance over the course of this project. My heartfelt appreciation and love goes out to those whose support and compassion over this period of time was a blessing. They prayed and ―stood in the gap‖ throughout the process and were part of my inspiration, in particular my mother Victoria, Aunty Sherma, Kiralina, Nicole, and Shaima. Lastly, I wish to express my love to my husband, Kevin for his unconditional love, support and compassion on this emotional and cerebral journey. iv HOW WE SEE OURSELVES: THE BEAUTY MAKEUP OF THE BLACK CANADIAN WOMAN Table of Contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….……..1 CHAPTER ONE: Body, Skin and Hair: Conceptualizing Black Femininity............…..…2 The Body and its Discontents: Symbolism, Resistance and Risk Skin: Divisions Below the Surface Hair: Conditioning the Roots Summary TWO: Theorizing the Black Female Aesthetic in North America ………...19 Double Consciousness and Socialization Governmentality: Self, Discipline and Docility Black Feminist Thought and Images of Black Womanhood Underlying Issue: The Boundaries of Color Summary THREE: Methodology........................................................................................34 FOUR: Beauty Discussion on Body, Skin and Hair…...…...……….…...…...45 Self-Referencing Beauty – Degrees of Acceptance Identifying the Contexts of Culture and Ideals Media Representations and Criticism Racialized Beauty, Perfection and Body Image v Beauty Phenotypes: Skin Color, Face and Hair Identity: Understanding Their Position in Canadian Society Final Discussion: Probing the Concept of Distinguishable Blendability Conclusion......................................................................................................................111 Recommendations…………….……..........................…………………………..….…115 References……….……………………………………………...……………………...116 Appendix I: Preliminary Questionnaire and Interview Questions...........................123 Appendix II: Additional Quotes ..................................................................................133 vi List of Tables TABLE 1………………………………………………………………..…………….…44 vii INTRODUCTION For several centuries, standards of physical beauty in North America as well as parts of Europe have been conditioned by the norms of the majority population. Its effect on various populations and cultures through global marketing and capitalism has been substantial. Many people around the world are aware of what is considered beautiful for White Europeans and Americans as a whole. However, those people that do not fit these norms by virtue of their racial, ethnic or cultural heritage may be recognized as being oppositional to these standards of beauty. To illustrate, Black1 women or women of African ancestry have had their physical traits used as a reference point as to what beauty is not, from the onset of colonialism and slavery. As a result, women from this cultural background have had to redefine and reaffirm their beauty standards while being influenced by the dominant Eurocentric norms established. Beauty then becomes a complex discourse on identity, resistance and acceptance. Specifically, this struggle has exposed itself in the discourse that surrounds the politics of body, skin and hair. The following thesis will provide an insight into the complexity of the discourse of beauty with Black women. It will highlight the historical and cultural issues of Black femininity as a literature review in Chapter one. A theoretical argument on the preservation of these socio-historical issues is discussed in Chapter two. Then the research design and analysis is outlined in Chapter three. Finally, the findings from the study are examined in Chapter four. 1 The term Black will be used as means of human representation for any person who is identified or identifies herself a descendant of Africa (Omi and Winant 1994). Black and African American or Canadian will be used interchangeably. 1 CHAPTER ONE: BODY, SKIN AND HAIR: CONCEPTUALIZING BLACK FEMININITY The Body and its Discontents: Symbolism, resistance and risk Within the history of the Americas and parts of Europe, there lies a need to represent the Caucasian population as distinct from the other groups that the period of exploration, colonialism and slavery had introduced into their political and societal life. Moreover, the need for distinction also implied a need for superiority towards the other people groups (Lowe 2005). Due to the differences in physical features like color, body shape, facial features and hair texture besides habits, behaviours and language, the Europeans reinforced their dominance over these groups economically, intellectually and spiritually (Lowe 2005). As a result, it caused a polarization of body types, an otherness that positioned these women as deviant morally, sexually and physically. For instance, women of African descent were viewed as the polar opposite of the White European femininity (Young 1999). The more pronounced facial and bodily features made the Black woman to be perceived as having an excessive sexuality and/or ugliness in contrast to the puritanical attitudes of the Victorian period which has and continues to cause distress for women in view of their physical self-concept i.e., their beauty and body image, till this present day. In light of the caricatures displayed portraying the Black woman throughout the Americas and Europe from the exploration period to the present, there has been ambivalence towards her features, an exaggeration of her physicality, sexuality or otherness in her features. A