An Undefined Woman of Color

Thher fashion sense freely outside of the fashion norm. Would someone be frowned upon roughout history and modern society, there is clear evidence that African-American women allow others to shape their opinions about their own beauty and self worth. This is evident in three main areas: history, entertainment, and the Historically Black College and University campus experience. It is important to note that despite the fact that this has been a continuous problem, there are groups of strong, independent African-American women to whom this does not apply. However, there are far more women of color that this affects in a negative way.

Historically, African-American women allowed their beauty and self worth to be defined by slave owners and their wives. This was done through a hierarchy system where lighter skinned African-American women were utilized in the “big house”, while darker skinned women were thought to be ugly and used as field hands. This came about with the birth of mulatto women, that is “the first-generation offspring of a black person and a white person.”(Merriam-Webster) Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s novel Wench describes slave women being used as mistresses for sexual favors while the slave’s white counterparts reaped the benefits of the slave master’s riches. This was the beginning of the inferiority complex found in African-American woman today. Even back during slavery, women of color mimicked the beauty secrets of white women, thinking it would make them more acceptable.

It is important to note the birth of black independence during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The political freedoms of this era gave way to black power and an independence that manifested itself in African-American fashion, hairstyles, and culture. However, it was short lived. As African-Americans became a part of the mainstream entertainment industry, they again tried to conform by adopting white trends in fashion and culture. An example of this is the actress...