8th
I wish I was more surprised by this. Alas, not surprised at all. I don’t think white people ever realize how toxic our society’s perception of beauty is for people of color. Hell, I’m nearly 21 years old and am way past my self-hating period with regards to my race, and I STILL sometimes feel as though I’m not attractive or appealing to people largely because of my race. As much as people like to deny it or seem so scandalized, it’s really fucking hard growing up as a woman of color in mostly white spaces. I can only speak for myself as somebody who is black, but it is especially hard when you’re in these white spaces and happen to become attracted to somebody white. It’s a really shitty feeling to think that this person may not be attracted to you—not because of your personality or your body shape or even your hair style—but because they’re not “into” black girls. It’s really maddening but it’s the goddamn truth: our society doesn’t view us as beautiful unless you’re some sort of anomaly like Beyonce or Halle Berry or some other black celebrity figure. And if we ARE seen as appealing it’s so often in an exotifying, degrading manner.
It’s really shitty that white people hold the standard of beauty to the point of people of color adhering themselves to the same ass backwards standards.
You live in a country which has always been predominantly white, and within which almost 90% of the population are still white. Don’t treat it as a ‘white people are like this’ issue, because white people face the same issues in predominantly black countries. It’s not ‘white people’, it’s the ‘the native population’. It’s therefore not wrong or racist that most of our leaders are white in business and politics, and especially not in beauty.
In a white culture we’re going to have white beauty ideals. We tend to find those similar to us more attractive naturally, and so in a white culture any non-whites are going to feel pressure to conform, or are going to be seen as either less attractive or degradingly exotic based on their race. It must be horrible, but I don’t know if you have a point beyond that. If you’re just complaining then I support you, but please don’t blame ‘white people’ as if this is racist and not a natural thing for human beings anywhere.
But maybe I’m biased. I’m going to be honest and say that I find you less attractive simply because you’re not white. I don’t know whether or not I should be ashamed of that. I would say the same for people who were genetically predetermined to be tall or have curly hair or a million other of my preferences. I prefer girls with brown eyes, but I’ve been known to exotify blue eyes in a degrading manner, just as I’ve found women less attractive based on the colour of their eyes. In all other respects I treat different races exactly the same - I just physically can’t find them as attractive.
Does that make me racist? To me it’s natural and I would completely accept the reverse, but I understand how drowning in a white society can make non-white’s lives so much harder. I’m sorry. Not sorry on the behalf of white people like we’re doing something wrong, but generally and genuinely sorry for you and the difficult circumstances you find yourself in. I feel so guilty for being white right now.
I think the point beyond it just being difficult and “horrible” for a dark-skinned girl to feel good about herself is that in America (since even though it is predominantly white it is not overwhelmingly so) I should think that girls like 10 year old Pearl should be able to find outlets where people who look like her are represented and celebrated so that she’s not only faced by people with your opinion (and TV commericals/ programs/ ads and etc that also share your opinion).
It isn’t fair that black women are hardly represented in the media and if they are that it is only light-skinned women like Rihanna and Beyonce. THAT is somebody’s fault. Am I going to pull the ‘it’s the white man’ card? No, because I don’t want to discredit my entire argument by seeming like the angry black woman. But I guess the person before me did because quite frankly, white men control the media. But I guess it’s more PC to just simply say that it’s the media’s fault.
btw, white people aren’t 90% of America… in fact black people are almost 13%. But maybe you’re talking about a diff country but in any case Pearl is in America.
Dear Mister Just-Smith. I got as far as “this country has always been mostly white” before laughing too much to go further.
Then I rested and came back. With a hotdog wrapped in a tortilla. Cuz that’s how I roll.
Let me just say that firstly, nobody is much concerned with your personal aesthetic preferences, and—tho this may shock you—they are unimportant.
Finally, it’s Agent Smiths like yourself within our very beautifully black, brown, gold, and red society who bust out with blasé bullshit like this and thus perpetuate said unrealistic, degrading toxic ideals and feelings. But thanks for entering the conversation all ignorant and unconcerned and missing the point and shit, yeh. Thanks for playing!
(Source: onafuturetipteenjesus)
