TEXTURED SOULS: PERCEPTIONS OF BLACK BEAUTY WITHIN THE MEDIA

Presentation of Final Project

By Bonnie Afton

May 2013

Textured Souls: Perceptions of Black Beauty

By Bonnie Afton

CONTENTS
Introduction to Project Textured Souls Portfolio Content

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Essays
Behind Blackface: Numro Magazines African Queen Contemporary Representations of Black Beauty: A Reflection on The Bell Hooks Perspective Black on TV: Where Are the Black British Presenters? Race Issues within the Fashion Industry: The Chanel Iman Encounter The New Voice of Black Culture: How the Internet Provides a Platform for Black People to Shape Perceptions of their Lifestyle and Beauty Embracing Natural Hair: The Other Side of Black Beauty

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Website Snapshot Reader Comments

Bibliography Acknowledgements

Copyright Bonnie Afton 2013

Introduction to Project Textured Souls is a web-based portfolio which aims to explore and critically reflect the perceptions of black beauty held in the media. It is concerned with the portrayal most particularly, of black women in contemporary society, which has become ever more image saturated; making the media a powerful tool in shaping the ideologies of its audience. The project consists of six short essays, at one thousand words each, which are accessible through an Internet platform, as a reliable source in its field. The website also includes supporting material such as; videos, photography, and recently published articles that relate to black beauty through secondary research. The world of fashion, advertising, television, music and other elements of the media, hold the power to reach millions of people on a global scale every single day. This power can often be a burden on minority communities, as it has the ability to influence thoughts on the unfamiliar, and for some, can be the sole experience of a black person. The issue of black representation in the media is on going, but often put back in its box once the storm of the latest controversy has settled. This website is an open portfolio of contemporary examples of the perception of black beauty within the media, supported by relevant theoretical literature. Providing a platform and community to explore black culture from this particular angle, the website strives to act as a resource for all. While promoting an awareness and new perspective on existing ideological views that have become so ingrained in our society, Textured Souls encourages a continuing conversation about the often distorted perceptions of black beauty, reaching out for awareness. followed by change.

WWW.TEXTUREDSOULS.WORDPRESS.COM

Behind Blackface: Numro Magazines African Queen

The issue of blackface is one that is frequently visited when exploring the black diaspora, with its history deep rooted into the effects of slavery and the European experience of 'blackness'. Recently, French magazine, Numro, published images of a white model, Ondria Hardin, seemingly portraying an 'African Queen' through the use of darker make-up to change her complexion to one more fitting of the theme, producing a series of editorial photos, all in blackface. As expected, this did not escape controversy. Julee Wilson of The Huffington Post comments: ''Although the magazine says it took no part in conceptualizing the story, it did not have to publish the images. Clearly the racially insensitive nature of blackface is lost on Numro, which is hard to believe since this isn't the first time the glossy has been ensnared in a controversy like this.'' (Wilson 2013) So why is the issue of blackface such a sensitive one? Before the Civil Rights

movement in the 1960's, Minstrel shows took place, where dark make-up and often big red lips were painted onto the faces of white men to entertain white audiences, by exaggerating negative black stereotypes as white people perceived them to be. Kevern Verney notes the emergence of minstrelsy as the first 'systematic portrayal of African American culture on the American stage', with its existence dating back to the early nineteenth century: ''Minstrelsy was complex in meaning. Nonetheless, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the central feature of the genre was the appropriation of African American culture by white entertainers in a way that maximized negative stereotypes. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, and the leading black abolitionist of his day, found minstrel shows deeply offensive. Blackface performers were 'the filthy scum of white society' who had 'stolen from us a complexion denied to them by nature' in order to 'make money and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens.'' (Verney 2003:3) With connotations as strong as these attached to the conversation surrounding blackface, it calls into question why the decision to publish such photos was able to go over the heads of so many people at Numro, undetected as inappropriate. As much as the French publication may apologise for their actions, it still comes across as disingenuous, as they have only apologised as a response to the backlash received. The issue of the magazines apparent resistance in hiring an actual African model should also be acknowledged. There are an increasing amount of models who Numro could have employed for this particular photo shoot such as; Alek Wek, Liya Kebede and Ataui Deng to name a few. The fact that they would rather hire a white model and spend so much time and money into achieving an 'African look' may be in relation to the values of beauty held in today's society and the ideology of European features being held more highly then their black counterparts; ' the beauty myth postulates that there is one universal standard of beauty, that women must embody it, and that men only want women who do. Reflecting a Eurocentric aesthetic, the myth assigns beauty to those women who possess youth, virginity, Caucasian features, white skin, blond hair, blue eyes, and low body weight' (Adjaye and Andrews 1997: 122). Cases such as this highlight the relevance of 'white privilege', indicating that the issue

of race is still prevalent in an age where having a black president seems to have misguided people into thinking that we have entered racial harmony: ''White privilege is an institutional, rather than personal, set of benefits granted to those of us who, by race, resemble the people who hold the power positions in our institutions. One of the primary privileges is having greater access to power and resources than people of color do; in other words, purely on the basis of skin color doors are open to us that are not open to other people.''(Kendall 2006: 63) On this occasion, the white privilege held by Hardin has gained her the position of modelling for this publication, denying the opportunity for a black woman to have received the same benefit. At the same time, the benefit of white privilege allows the model and the editors at the magazine to make a profit out of black culture. In her book, The Black Culture Industry, Ellis Cashmore identifies the ways in which wealthy white people have commercialised black culture, even though they have no first-hand experience of it; 'the resemblance between the ways culture and other artefacts of industrial society are produced and distributed was sufficient for Adorno to coin the term The Culture Industry. I want to entertain the possibility that black culture is commodified and, at the same time, urge caution about welcoming it as a new basis of power for black people' (Cashmore 1997:3). Numro in this instance, have capitalised the idea of the black race without even allowing a black model the benefit of profiting in the process, which seems to be what Cashmore warned of in relation to the danger of naive hopes of an increase of power amongst black people who are not being 'represented' more, but rather, exploited. Numro magazine released a statement stating: ''Numro Magazine considers that it has regularly demonstrated its deep attachment to the promotion of different skin-colored models. For instance, the next issue of Numro for Man on sale on 15th march has the black model Fernando Cabral on the cover page, and the current Russian editions cover of our magazine features the black model Naomi Campbell on its cover.'' While this may be true, it does not erase the connotations that are so strongly 7

associated with the use of blackface, and the publication seems to suggest that their actions are acceptable on the merit that they will feature a black model on the cover of next month's issue. It appears to ignore how the editorial piece could be seen as offensive, which indicates a lack of experience of the culture they claim to be portraying. The photographer, Sebastian Kim, also stated that the model was supposed to be portraying a Middle Eastern woman, which along

with contradicting the title of the piece, begs the question of why a Middle Eastern model was not used if this is the case? It is clear that the impact of the minstrel shows, caricature, and most notably blackface, are still felt today in the twenty-first century. Although progress has been made in the form of multiculturalism and a more varied representation of black people is now common place, incidents such as this are still very much a part of the black experience and should be approached with sensitivity. As Dominic Thomas suggests of France's inclusion of African culture; ' if France is able to successfully navigate its way across this terrain, to acknowledge that traces of the past have forever impregnated the shared trajectories of the future, then Africa and France as mutually constitutive categories may permit ''blackness'' in France to be less of a ''color'' and more of an ''experience'' ' (Thomas2007:211). It just so happens that in this instance, ''blackness'' as a total experience rather than just the colour of one's skin has been ignored, focusing on a misguided interpretation which excludes the cultural adversities and history of the experience of the black woman.

References Adjaye, K, Joseph. Andrews, R, Adrianne. (1997). Language, Rhythm and Sound. University of Pittsburgh Press Cashmore, E. (1997). The Black Culture Industry. Routledge Ford Models. (2013). Ondria. Accessed Feb 25th 20113 at:

http://models.fordmodels.com/models/437/talents/33310.html Wilson, J. (2013). Huffington Post: Numro Magazine Blackface Apology For 'African Queen' Editorial Responds To Backlash (UPDATE). Accessed Feb 26th 2013 at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/numero-magazineblackface-apology-african-queen_n_2772670.html Kendall, E. F. (2006). Understanding White Privilege. Routledge Numro. (2013). Numro Magazine. Accessed Feb 24th 2013 at: http://www.numero-magazine.com/ Thomas, D. (2007). Black France. Indiana University Press Verney, K. (2003). African Americans and US Popular Culture. Routledge

Contemporary Representations of Black Beauty: A Reflection on The Bell Hooks Perspective

Images of black men and women in the media are a conversation that has been discussed rather timidly over the past few decades, failing to garner much attention until more recently. Issues concerning race and the black community are often swept under the carpet once the dust has settled, after all how do you truly solve such an ingrained issue such as racism? However, there are a handful of writers who have written extensively on the very issue, aiming to uncover how well black people have been received within their majority white communities, and the overall black experience.

Bell Hooks is a contributing writer in arguments of black culture, and perhaps more poignantly in todays social media-saturated society, the critical position the media has in perpetuating representations of black people. So how relevant are Hooks writings today?

Hip Hop culture has now gravitated to a space where its latest releases feature on music charts outside the rap and hip hop genre, and its goods are now in heavy rotation across radio stations dedicated to playing the best in pop music. It is an element of black culture that has seemingly been adopted by the mainstream media, awakening non-black people to the tales of its many lyrical composers. The likes of Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne have all been elevated to a position to redefine 10

the perceptions of black women. It can often seem though, that this opportunity has been ignored.

Back in her 1992 publication; Black Looks: Race and Representations, Hooks discusses the dangers of a black cultural voice on such a pedestal: 'Work by black artists that is overtly political and radical is rarely linked to an oppositional political culture. When commodified it is easy for consumers to ignore political messages. And even though a product like rap articulates narratives of coming to critical political consciousness, it also exploits stereotypes and essentialist notions of blackness (like black people have natural rhythm and are more sexual).' (Hooks 1992: 34) This is still true of much of rap music today. The images presented to us of black women in music videos seem to reinforce stereotypes of black beauty and sexuality, which are often reminiscent of the offensive feminising of 19th century 'attraction', Sarah Baartman. Nicki Minaj for example, often presents herself in such a way to accentuate her small waste and larger hips and buttocks, appealing to the male gaze by exaggerating the fuller bottom expected on a black woman: 'A similar white European fascination with the bodies of black people, particularly black female bodies, was manifest during the career of Josephine Baker. Content to ''exploit'' white eroticization of black bodies, Baker called attention to the ''butt'' in her dance routines.' (Hooks 1992: 63)

Lyrics in one particular Lil Wayne song, Right Above it, received controversy as it echoed a sensitive issue in the black community of equating lighter complexioned women to beauty; 'Beautiful black woman, I bet that Bitch look better red'. 'Red' which derives from the slang term 'redbone', meaning light-skinned, demonstrates the deregulatory treatment of darker-skinned women and the narrow-minded outlook on beauty that members of the black race hold themselves.

Another sector of the media industry that has changed little in the last twenty years is the print magazine where attitudes towards befitting criteria of beauty are still widely askew. Supermodel Naomi Campbell recently featured on the cover of Vogue Brazil, accompanied by a long, straight, blonde wig and lightened eyebrows. Her skin

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appears bronzed, but fairer in tone as she poses on the front of the May 2013 issue. Hooks commented on Campbells appearance when she first begun to receive acclimation in the fashion industry as a new model: 'Abandoning her ''natural'' hair for blonde wigs or ever-lengthening weaves, she has great cross over appeal. Labelled by fashion critics as the black Briget Bardo, she embodies an aesthetic that suggests black women, while appealingly ''different'', must resemble white women to be considered really beautiful.' (Hooks 1992: 73) These concerns seem somewhat still present in a time when more black women are denouncing the use of weaves, in a bid to uncover their natural hair. However; Sudan born British model, Alek Wek, is instantly recognisable from her almost bald hair, full lips and dark skin. She has featured in advertisements, most relevant here, Clinique, which happens to sell beauty products. She has also featured on the cover of Vogue, appearing to have her natural features in tact. The contrast between Campbell and Wek's appearance's couldn't be more vast, which begs the question - are black women just as much responsible for how the media and society perceives them?

In her latest offering, Writing Beyond Race: Living Theory and Practice (2012), Bell Hooks shares her current perspective on race relations today: 'Critical thinking about the historical relationship between white women and black women reveals the extent to which these two groups are pitted against one another by dominator culture in ways that serve to maintain the status quo. Basically the message these two groups have historically received from the dominator culture is that one group cannot be liberated unless the other group remains enslaved.' (2012: 40) This perspective unintentionally sums up the controversy that arose from the Numro magazine black-face incident; a white woman is cast to portray an African woman, rather than an African model herself.

Perceptions of beauty have been ingrained in society for centuries, and just as family traditions are passed down to the next generation; racist and prejudice beliefs follow the same protocol. The reinforcement of black cultural stereotypes by people who belong to the very same race, are working to put back any progress that non-black parties make in appreciating black beauty. The media industries may still have a long 12

road to travel, but it would appear that there are some members of the black community who need to walk with them.

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References Abagond. (2009. Bell Hooks: Loving Blackness as Political Resistance. Accessed April 28 2013 at: http://abagond.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/bellhooks-loving-blackness-as-political-resistance/ Fashion Bomb Daily. (2013). Snapshot: Naomi Campbell by Tom Munro for Vogue Brazil May 2013 [Full Spread] . Accessed May 2 2013 at: http://fashionbombdaily.com/2013/04/29/snapshot-naomi-campbell-by-tommunro-for-vogue-brazil-may-2013-full-spread/ Hooks, B. (1992). Black Looks: Race and Representation. South End Press Hooks, B. (2012) Writing Beyond Race: Living Theory and Practice. Routledge Rap Genius. (2013). Lil Wayne Right Above It Lyrics. Accessed May 9 2013 at: http://rapgenius.com/Lil-wayne-right-above-it-lyrics

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Black on TV: Where are the Black British Presenters?

Channel 4's weekend television program T4, recently decided to call it quits and disappeared from the morning slot after fourteen years of providing us with an array of programming and presenters. Its recent upheaval provoked a reflection of some of the early presenters to feature on the show such as; Dave Berry, June Sarpong, Alex Zane and Margherita Taylor to name the key faces that stood out upon first recall. As well as an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia, it also highlighted the apparent lack of black presenters left on our television screens. A Saturday night of television can pass by each week without the presence of a single black face in the role of presenter on some of the country's most popular programs. When considering the endless list of white British presenters such as; Philip Schofield, Davina McCall, Ant and Dec, Dermot O'Leary, Lorraine Kelly - the list goes on. But it is difficult to put together even a handful of black presenters here in the U.K. Of course we have the occasional appearances from Michael Underwood and Angelica Bell on shows such as; Daybreak or The One Show, but aside from this, who is there? A few years ago, we had the likes of June Sarpong, Josie D'arby, Diane-Louise Jordan, Margherita Taylor, John Fashanu and Ian Wright, and even The Saturday's Rochelle Humes presenting on prime-time television shows. Ortis Deley, who recently ended his time on The Gadget Show, use to have a key spot on 90's children 15

program, Live and Kicking, and now only appears every now and again on our TV screens. Andy Akinwolere, who presented on Blue Peter from 2006-2011, reportedly commented on the dire numbers of black presenters in the country last year according to The Telegraph: So far as I can see, there are currently no black male or female prime -time presenters and this strikes me as wrong. [...] I know many talented black comedians and television presenters, but they just dont get the big breaks. They might make it in music and childrens television, but its just not happening in prime-time. He goes on to note that in the many years of Blue Peter, the show has only filled a presenting role with three non-white faces. The lack of non-white presenters in this country seems to ignore the growing ethnic diversity in our communities and again, leaves minorities under-represented in the media. It could be argued that 92% of the British population is white therefore, is it not just representative of the people living in the country? However, the non-white 8% of the population in Britain are represented a lot more regularly in other areas across the media, so what makes the role of presenting so different? In her essay; White Media, Black Audience: Diversity and Dissonance on British Television, Karen Ross identifies the gap between our multicultural communities and the television programs many of its members see on their television screens: 'Minority ethnic communities are visible in television spaces in two discrete ways. Firstly in mainstream programs where stereotyping and caricature are the main criticisms. Second, in multicultural programming strands where they are effectively denied access to the public mainstream space by having to speak from the more private and marginal space of the 'multicultural'. If television is a public space for us, the viewers, then public space-changing strategies must be instigated to make that space a more representative and accessible one for television's many and diverse publics.' (Ross 1996) One face that has maintained his place as a presenter on U.K screens is Reggie Yates. Presenting on shows such as; Top of the Pops, Smile, and a number of BBC Three

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documentaries, Yates is gearing up for a second series presenting on The Voice UK, alongside Holly Willoughby. Also, wheelchair basketball player, Ade Adepitan, has presented several documentaries as well as last year's Paralympic games. Of course, there is also Alesha Dixon who made a career move into the judges seat after her time on Strictly Come Dancing, and she will be back on our screens on the judging panel when Britain's Got Talent returns. This still however, is only three black people with a prime-time spot presenting, and each one of them entered the industry with a different career background, as opposed to thousands of students across the country studying the field at either college or university. The TV Collective raised the issue back in October last year: 'Five years ago at a networking event for ethnic minority journalists, I quizzed the former BBC Director General, Mark Thompson, about the paucity of black people on screen. He told the audience Well, were doing very well with great representation in dramas like EastEnders and Holby. I said But what about newsreaders on the 1, 6 and 10 Oclock news, and black and Asian people fronting television shows? He didn't seem to be able to answer that one. After the event he pulled me aside with Peter Salmon and said Come and meet us soon. After two months of trying, neither of their diaries could fit me in for a meeting. Not sure why.' (2012) It seems the concept of tokenism - the use of one black person to fill the ethnic diversity quota - is the one that Mark Thompson has taken, evidently through his selfpraise as he claims; ' we're doing very well'. Are black people supposed to be satisfied that our only visual representations are fictional characters in a soap opera? It appears that the majority of black presenters are reserved for the airwaves, where radio stations feature a number of black British presenters such as; Kiss Fm and BBC Radio 1Xtra's Trevor Nelson, Twin B and Sarah Jane Crawford - where it just so happens that the presenter is not seen . So is this an aesthetic issue? Not to mention the fact that both these stations are targeted at young black people or 'urban' audiences. For a black female considering a career in the media industry, it would appear that the struggle to land a job in TV is a very real one. The media industry is competitive as it

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is, without the possibility that the colour of ones skin may hinder any chance of being a part of it.

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References Bubba. (2012). Alesha Dixon Wallpaper. Accessed March 20 2013 at: http://www.superbwallpapers.com/celebrities/alesha-dixon-15925/ Ross, K. (1996). Black and white media: black images in popular film and television. Cambridge The TV Collective. (2012). What Happened, where did all the Black Female Presenters Go? Accessed March 19 2013 at: http://www.thetvcollective.org/2012/10/08/what-happened-where-did-all-theblack-female-presenters-go-marvovox/ Walker, K. Walker, T. (2012). Andy Akinwolere, the Blue Peter star, attacks 'white television. Accessed March 20 2013 at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/active/9091977/Andy-Akinwolere-the-Blue-Peterstar-attacks-white-television.html

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Race Issues Within The Fashion Industry: The Chanel Iman Encounter

It is an issue that resurfaces every now and again, and then seemingly fades into the background, but model, Chanel Iman, recently opened up the discussion of racism in the fashion industry when she sat down with The Sunday Times last month. The 22 year old model has successfully shaped an impressive portfolio with the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren and Versace on her C.V, however; the Victoria Secret's Angel says that she still faces discrimination when trying to secure modelling jobs: A few times I got excused by designers who told me we already found one black girl. We dont need you any more I felt very discouraged. When someone tells you, we dont want you because we already have one of your kind, its really sad. (Iman 2013) Although it is no secret that these kind of racial issues are still very real in such a brutally judgmental industry, it is as Iman says, very discouraging that a model of her caliber is still evaluated on her ethnicity rather than her ability. The images of black women have changed in western society through the popularity of black culture within popular culture, yet the fashion industry has changed little in its inclusion and acceptance of black people, leaving models working in the 21st century such as Iman

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open to judgment purely on their race: ''What Black womens words make us recall is that what counts as beauty is never settled once and for all but is constantly re-negotiated, re-fashioned and re-inscribed on the surface of the body. In other words, beauty has no within but is the fetishized outcome of the work of fantasy. The work of fantasy itself is impacted on by both beauty wisdom and racialization.'' (Tate 2009:17) Tate's words echo the very sentiments of the issue here, in that the people at the top of the fashion industry influence the rest of the field, allowing the impact of their personal perceptions of black people to dictate the climate of the fashion world. At times, it is painfully obvious that a designer has awarded a black model a place in their show as an attempt to silence critics of any accusations of racial discrimination. This does little to change the politics of the fashion industry, when the same racial prejudices will still go on to exist, and the issue brushed under the carpet until the next Fashion Week arrives. In the same article featured in The Sunday Times which Iman relayed her experience; photographer Steven Meisel echoes Iman's disappointing account: ' I've asked my advertising clients so many times, Can we use a black girl?. It is an ugly truth, but a truth nonetheless - attitudes towards black people in fashion are negative. It also indicates that it has clearly not moved forward in the same manner that the rest of society has in terms of filtering out racial division in a progressively multi-cultural civilisation. It is insulting that they believe their audience would be dissuaded in their decision to purchase a product based on the colour of the person wearing it. Casting agent to brands such as; Gucci and Burberry, Barbara Nicoli recently suggested that it is the style of the clothing that excludes black and Asian models from many runway shows: "It's also true that, for example, Caucasians have a specific body type, black girls have a specific body shape, and Asian girls have a specific body shape. So I guess there are some collections where it's more perfect for an Asian body shape because they are more flat and less sexy, in a way. Asians, they are not curvy, so to put an Asian [who's] very flat [with a] baby body shape in

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a show where normally the designer knows they love sexy, beautiful, curvy girls, it's a bit of nonsense." She also mentions that creative directors such as; Gucci's, Freda Gianni, wants a 'specific type of girl' when casting models. Blaming the design of the clothes is an amusing defense. If this is the case, it either implies that they do not want black people to buy and wear their designs, or that they are incompetent in sewing different measurements. The hostile attitude towards black women in the fashion industry inevitably invites us to ask why they would opt for a career where there is such a bitter atmosphere. However; running away from it does little to solve the issue and merely turns a blind eye to it. After all, is that not what certain fashion executives and their peers want; for black women to stop trying to enter 'their world'? A world where the standards of beauty have been set to exclude curvy figures, big noses and full lips? It is wrong that a black woman be deterred from achieving her dreams because she believes she has the 'wrong' skin colour, and although there is still a lot of work to be done, models such as; Jourdan Dunn, Fatima, Alek Wek, Joan Smalls and of course Chanel Iman herself, have an important presence in the fashion business as their perseverance in a industry which often works against them is how change materialises. Iman goes on to note this herself: Things are improving. We have gone from no ethnic minority models in shows to one. We need to get past one to more. Theres a greater consciousness of Asia and China, so we see more of those faces now. There needs to be a permanency [about] using black models. You still see all-white shows in Europe and New York And dont give us an all-black catwalk show. It doesn't help us; it just puts us into a category. The fashion industry may be forward-thinking in its avant-garde creations, and ability to continually produce futuristic, cutting-edge designs, but it has failed to apply this same innovative, open-minded mentality to the world outside of catwalk shows and editorial spreads, leaving a sour taste in the mouth every time we see the 'token-blackface' on the runway.

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References IMG Models. (2013). Chanel Iman. Accessed March 20 2013 at: http://www.imgmodels.com/details.aspx?navbtn=1&cityID=1&modelid=5086 06&pic=151.jpg&subid=1767&mainsubid=1767&catID=1&indx=2 Jezebel. (2013). Chanel Iman Still Hears the Following Words: ' We Already Have One Black Girl. We Don't Need You'. Accessed March 19 2013 at: http://jezebel.com/5991522/chanel-iman-still-hears-the-following-words-wealready-have-one-black-girl-we-dont-need-you Tate, S. (2009). Black Beauty: Aesthetics, Stylization, Politics. Ashgate The Gloss. (2013). 'We Already Found One Black Girl, We Don't Need You Anymore. Accessed March 20 2013 at: http://www.thegloss.com/2013/03/18/fashion/chanel-iman/ The Times. (2013). Chanel Iman: Modelling, Racism and Me. Accessed March 18 2013 at: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article3684885.ece Looks Can Be Deceiving. (2012). Chanel Iman and Jourdan. Accessed March 21 2013 at: http://congragufcukinlations.tumblr.com/post/45951539105/congragufcukinlat ions-chanel-iman-and-jourdan

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The New Voice of Black Culture: How the Internet Provides a Platform for Black People to Shape Perceptions of their Lifestyle and Beauty

With a very dire amount of black faces on our television screens, members of the black community are limited when seeking representations of themselves in the media. Over the last few years, a rightful desire to have their voices lifted, albeit through a different platform, has been granted. With the popularity of social media constantly evolving, it makes sense that minority audiences would turn to the internet to create entertainment with faces that resemble their own.

Black people are starting to tell new stories through their own words instead of relying on television networks to take on the role, more often than not, inaccurately. With a plethora of web series such as; British YouTube drama, Venus Vs Mars, comedy The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl or shows like The Couple becoming more popular, and the countless new websites dedicated to celebrating natural afro hair and beauty, the black community have realised the platform that the internet provides in presenting their beauty and everyday experiences to the rest of society. Elegance of Beyond Black and White, suggests that films such as; Precious, The Pursuit of Happyness and Boyz in the Hood, have perpetuated stereotypes of Black people through the constant retelling of the same black experience, illustrating the need to provide an alternative:

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I think the problem we have now is that we all know these stories so well; its hard for non-Black people to believe that some of us dont live those stories every day. Because of our stories the media tends to portray us in ways that conform to the roles in the movies listed above. Because of our stories people make fun of us by using those stereotypes (e.g., dressing up like gang bangers, acting like sassy Black women etc.). (Elegance 2013) This perspective highlights the ways in which the film industry has distorted the image of the millions of different black people all over the world, who inevitably, share different experiences, by feeding society with limited character types. Actor and writer Issa Rae, is just one example of how social media has opened its doors to black talent to start changing the stories and perceptions about black people. Her successful web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, won the Shorty Award for Best Web Show in 2012. In an interview with Essence back in 2011, Rae, admits that she wanted to move away from stereotypical black roles when creating her web series: I personally don't feel any pressure to make jokes about multiple baby-fathers and stereotypical Black jokes, because one, that's just not my life, and two, I wouldn't even sound right talking about those things. I'll stick to finding the funny in the ordinary because my life is pretty ordinary and so are the lives of my friends -- and my friends are hilarious. (Essence 2011) Rae echoes the opinions of Elegance, in that they both acknowledge the neglect of the media to feature the regular experiences of black culture. Women such as; African Export, vlogger Taren Guy and Francheska Medina of Hey Fran Hey, are continually working to influence how black beauty is perceived by the rest of the media, through the utilization of YouTube channels and blog based website platforms to provide educational videos on skin and hair care for black women, as well as share opinions on issues within the black community. They actively encourage black women to feel comfortable in their skin, showing that there are more sides to beauty than what the mainstream media might have us believe. A platform called The Alchemy Networks, recognised the success of these 25

independent bloggers and vloggers (video bloggers), and created a space where they can be accessed as a hub: 'In recent years, YouTube has emerged as a place where beauty mavens, both professional and amateur, can connect, share tips, and learn from each other. Inspired by the success of beauty-centric video content on the platform, the Alchemy Networks, has invited vloggers (such as Fran Medina of channel Hey Fran Hey) to come together to create a digital hub specifically for African-American women.' (Rasmus 2013) To illustrate why this shift in power is necessary; controversy recently ensued when it was announced that actress Zoe Saldana would play the role of singer Nina Simone, in a Hollywood biopic. Many cited their disapproval of the choice of actress, and pledged to boycott the film. So what is the problem? Nina Simone was very vocal about her mistreatment due to the darkness of her skin and the thickness of her nose, yet these experiences were instrumental in creating her musical catalogue as she embraced the struggle. Casting Zoe Saldana in this instance, as a lighter skinned black woman, is an issue, as the director of the film, who is notably white, has evidently ignored the importance that Simones complexion holds, in favour of a concept of beauty that fits more closely in line with that of the media. The Telegraph notes Simones daughter as saying: My mother was raised at a time when she was told her nose was too wide, her skin was too dark, Kelly said. Appearance-wise this is not the best choice, (Telegraph 2013) This demonstrates the importance of the independent talent growing across the internet, which ultimately has an even wider reach than our local television networks and cinema releases that are not always screened in all countries. Using the internet to challenge the mainstream representations of black beauty, is not only cost effective for self-funded projects who do not have the advantage of big sponsorship deals behind them, but it means that these web series and websites can reach a global audience. As much as members of the black community have started to have a bigger influence on how they are perceived through the use of the internet, it is still up to the audience, and ultimately, society to accept these new meanings and representations: ' producing

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meaning depends on the practice of interpretation, and interpretation is sustained by us actively using the code - encoding, putting things into the code - and by the person at the other end interpreting or decoding the meaning.' (Hall 1980 cited Hall 1997: 62)

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References Chilton, M. (2013). Nina Simone row: Zoe Saldaa defends her role. Accessed April 3 2013 at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmnews/9902427/Nina-Simone-row-Zoe-Saldana-defends-her-role.html Crosley, H. (2011). 5 Questions for Issa Rae on 'Awkward Black Girl'. Accessed April 27 2013 at: http://www.essence.com/2011/07/26/5-questionsfor-issa-rae-on-awkward-black-girl/ Elegance. (2013). Do We Really Want Our Stories Told. Accessed May 8 2013 at: http://www.beyondblackwhite.com/our-stories-told/ Export, African (2013). African Export. Accessed May 1 2013 at: http://www.africanexportsblog.com/ Guy, T. (2009) Taren Guy. Accessed April 28 2013 at: http://www.youtube.com/user/taren916 Hall, S. (1997) Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. SAGE Medina, F. Hey Fran Hey. Accessed April 22 2013 at: http://www.youtube.com/user/heyfranhey Rasmus, T. (2013). Introducing The Alchemy Network: A New Platform For All-Inclusive Beauty. Accessed May 2 2013 at: http://www.refinery29.com/alchemy-networks Venus Vs Mars TV. (2012). Venus Vs Mars. Accessed April 29 2013 at: http://www.youtube.com/user/VenusVSMarsTV

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Embracing Natural Hair: The Other Side of Black Beauty

Hair is somewhat of a delicate issue for most women, but none more so than among a circle of black girlfriends, where the word 'hair' means so many different things to each one of them. Although some may argue that it shouldn't be; the topic of black hair is a volatile one. In her book, Hair Matters: Beauty, Power, & Black Women's Consciousness, Ingrid Banks arrives at the same conclusion: 'Hair matters in black communities, and it matters in different ways for women and men. For black women in this society, what is considered desir-able and undesirable hair is based on ones hair texture. What is deemed desirable is measured against white standards of beauty, which include long and straight hair (usually blonde), that is, hair that is not kinky or nappy.' (Banks 2000: 13) It is for these reasons why over the years, wearing natural hair in the black community has been received with caution and hostility. However; during the last five years, more and more black women are welcoming the idea of wearing their afro hair in its natural state. The endless amount of blogs, YouTube channels, and magazines focusing on the nurturing of natural black hair has significantly increased, building a community of predominately, but not solely, women from across the world exchanging their experiences and advice.

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For many black women, they have never even set eyes on their natural hair. Relaxers that permanently straighten out any kinks, coils and curls using chemicals, are introduced in many homes from a fairly young age. Following that, countless black girls begin to experience the wonders of weave and synthetic hair extensions, which effectively hide every inch of the afro hair growing from their scalp with a texture that does not in the slightest resemble their own. They are conditioned to hide the naturalness of their hair. It can therefore in many circles; be treated as an event worthy of accolade when a black woman detaches herself from her long running commitment to wearing long silky weaves, to opt for a natural state instead. Earlier last year, British actress Thandie Newton spoke of her own journey of what is referred to as 'transitioning', the period where no more chemical straighteners are applied, and one's natural hair emerges from the scalp, trimming the hair occasionally until the natural hair exists entirely. She acknowledged the poor connotations natural hair holds to many: 'The stigma with some black women seems to be that nappy hair is almost as bad as loo roll trailing from your shoe. I have always let my daughters hair be wild and scruffy. I love the shapes and fluffy halo. But when they were papped in the States I had remarks about how I dont take care of their hair.' (Newton 2012) Her experience is disappointingly not uncommon. However, Newton was not alone in embracing her natural hair publicly, as fellow thespian, Viola Davis, bared her natural hair texture at last year's Oscars. Julee Wilson of the Huffington Post, acknowledged the shift towards natural forms of beauty in the black community: 'According to Mintel, a consumer spending and market research firm, the number of black women who say they do not use products to chemically relax or straighten their hair jumped to 36% in 2011, up from 26% in 2010.' (Wilson 2011) She notes that while it may not seem that much of an extravagant rise in numbers, these figures represent a study which focuses on black consumers, and therefore the relevance of it being a niche market should be accounted for.

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Despite this, the ingrained attitudes towards natural hair are often manifested, more so by black people themselves than other races. On one occasion, while paying for goods in a shop, I could feel the black shop assistant serving me examining my hair. I waited patiently for what I knew was sure to follow: 'You have lovely hair, is it all yours?' I replied, 'yes'. 'Are you mixed with something?' I replied, 'no'. While I was appreciative of the complement, it was reduced to very little when it was implied that I must be of mixed heritage to naturally have something considered of beauty. In addition, it recalls misguided concepts of 'good hair' across parts of the Black diaspora: 'Banks (2000) states that, the distinction between good and bad hair is one that occupies the psyche of African-Americans and it is clear that in the united states as in the Caribbean, Brazil and Britain, within Black communities ideas of good and bad hair articulate with ideas of skin colour. (Tate 2009: 41) Both Banks and Tate refer to the categorisation of hair amongst black people based on the texture.; looser curls, of a silkier texture is what is known as good hair, where as the more course, kinkier patterned hair is viewed as bad hair. With such rigid connotations held about hair in the black community, it is without a doubt a positive step in the right direction that the associations of European features with beauty are being dismissed by some black women. The frustration of not being accepted by other races for something as unchanging as your skin colour, is without a doubt an uneasy reality, but when your own race condemn you for simply wearing your hair the way it grows naturally, it is somewhat harder to ignore. Embracing natural hair should not been seen as a political movement as such, but simply the norm. Until black people themselves start to free their minds of ignorant attitudes, the plight for a different perception of black beauty in the media will fall on deaf ears.

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References
Banks, I. (2000). Hair matters beauty, power, and Black women's consciousness. New York University Press

Medgiadore. (2013). Natural Couple. Accessed May 1 2013 at: http://medgiadore.tumblr.com/post/44239288775/natural-couple Montano, K. (2012). Thandie Newtons Good Hair. Accessed April 28 2013 at: http://www.kaymontano.com/2012/02/01/thandie-newtons-good-hair/

Tate, S. (2009). Black beauty aesthetics, stylization, politics. Ashgate Publishing

Group

Wilson, J. (2011). Natural Hair Becoming Even More Popular Among Black Women (PHOTOS). Accessed April 30 2013 at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22/natural-hair-becomingmor_n_1165573.html

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Website Snapshot: Home Page

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Reader Comments

Responses to: Behind Blackface: Numro Magazines African Queen

Responses to: Taren Guy Encourages Women To Let Go of Their Beauty Crutches

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Bibliography
Books Alkalimat, A. (2003). African American Experience in Cyberspace: A Resource Guide to the Best Web Sites on Black Culture and History. Pluto Press

Adjaye, K, Joseph. Andrews, R, Adrianne. (1997). Language, Rhythm and Sound. University of Pittsburgh Press
Banks, I. (2000). Hair matters beauty, power, and Black women's consciousness. New York University Press

Cashmore, E. (1997). The Black Culture Industry. Routledge Chen, K, H. Morley, D. (1996). Stuart Hall: Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies. Routledge

Daniels, T. Gerson, J. (1989). Black Images in British Television: The Colour Black. BFI Publishing Evans, J. Hall, S. (1999). Visual Culture: The Reader. SAGE Hall, S. (1997) Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. SAGE Hooks, B. (1992). Aint I A Woman. Pluto Press Hooks, B. (1992). Black Looks: Race and Representation. South End Press Hooks, B. (2012) Writing Beyond Race: Living Theory and Practice. Routledge Kendall, E. F. (2006). Understanding White Privilege. Routledge Meeks, B. (2007). Culture, Politics, Race, and the Diaspora: The Thought of Stuart Hall. Lawrence and Wishart Ross, K. (1996). Black and white media: black images in popular film and television. Cambridge Tate, S. (2009). Black beauty aesthetics, stylization, politics. Ashgate Publishing
Group

Thomas, D. (2007). Black France. Indiana University Press Twitchin, J. (1992). The Black and White Media Book: Handbook for the Study of Racism and Television. Trentham Books

Verney, K. (2003). African Americans and US Popular Culture. Routledge Whittaker, J. (2002). Web Production for Writers and Journalists. Second ed. Routledge

Websites Abagond. (2013). Abagond. Accessed April 30 2013 at: http://abagond.wordpress.com/ Beyond Black & White. (2013). Beyond Black & White. Accessed May 2 2013 at: http://www.beyondblackwhite.com/ Clutch. (2013). Clutch. Accessed May 5 2013 at: http://www.clutchmagonline.com/ Curly Nikki. (2013). Curly Nikki. Accessed March 29 2013 at: http://curlynikki.com Guardian. (2013). Guardian. Accessed May 2 2013 at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/ Huffington Post. (2013). Black Voices. Accessed April 27 2013 at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/black-voices/ K is for Kinky. (2013). K is for Kinky. Accessed April 25 2013 at: http://www.kisforkinky.com/ Precious. (2012). Precious Online. Accessed 21 Feb 2013 at: http://preciousonline.co.uk Pride Magazine. (2013). Pride Magazine: Celebrating the Women of Colour. Accessed 27 Feb 2013 at: http://pridemagazine.com/ TV Collective. (2013). The TV Collective. Accessed April 26 2013 at: http://www.thetvcollective.org/ The Voice. (2013). The Voice Online. Accessed May 2 2013 at: http://www.voice-online.co.uk/

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Acknowledgements

It is a great pleasure to show my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this project. It would not have been possible without the support of my supervisor, Dr Martyn Lee, and for his guidance I am sincerely grateful. I would also like to thank my partner, parents and sisters who have encouraged me throughout the project and provided continuous motivation.