I had already watched this video in a couple of other classes and it is just as powerful as the first time that I watched it. I find it puzzling that we as a society continue to look for solutions that we as a society continue to create. That being said let me explain what I mean. The issue of body image or self esteem is an issue that doesn’t even enter our mind until someone makes it an issue in our life. In infancy and childhood we are often told by those around us that we are adorable, precious, and cute. Once we, as girls reach our preteen years we begin to see those images of what we are supposed to look like. In the afro American and Latino/ Hispanic/ Chicano communities it is all about the hair and skin tone, in the Caucasian community it is all about maintaining a slim physique. Women of color have been taught that femininity is about have long beautiful flowing hair, Oprah Winfrey talked about wanting to have a long ponytail and Chris Rock did a documentary all about black women and their hair. Women of color also have to contend with skin tone, there is an intra cultural ideology within the black and Latino communities that light skinned people are more attractive and if you are dark skinned you have to stay out of the sun so that you won’t get any darker. In my family if you are lighter skinned then you are revered and remind of how beautiful you are. It is similar to when the girl on the video was talking about skin bleaching, there is a misconception that lighter is better, long straight hair is better, and being thin is better. We should be teaching our girls about self acceptance and that beauty doesn’t have to be painful either physically or emotionally. I believe that girls and women should be able to express themselves and alter their looks if they choose to but I don’t believe that they should change just because society expects them to. On that note, I think that the time has come for us to allow our girls to dictate who and what they look like and what they become it is no longer up to society to dictate what constitutes being a girl.
So the hair thing reminds me of a story . . .
ReplyDeleteMy middle daughter finally had hair long enough for two pony tails which she had been coveting for a long time. After watching the movie "Mulan" she chopped her pony tails off down to the scalp because she wanted to be a boy or be like Mulan. (I'm still not sure.) She was about 4 years old at this time, but she knew hair was part of identity.
Remember the term piggy tails as well as pony tail? Two tails used to be piggy tails and one a pony tail. Lovely that girls' hair is being compared to animals. I think the term piggy tails is almost gone though.
You make some really great points about how identity can be couched in beliefs about what is considered beautiful in society and I find it fascinating what you wrote about Black and Latina women wanting light skin. I think it is interesting that in 'white girl' culture, being tan is extremely desirable, with girls doing tanning booths and spray tans to try to look darker, like the women who are trying to look lighter.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Donna. I wonder if there will ever be a time when any of us - men or women, those of all cultures - can really dictate for ourselves who we are. I mean, can we ever escape the template or influence of media?
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