Weekly Features

Hello Fellow Internet Surfers. 
Come and Tune into our Weekly Blogs. 
We will having special beauties of the week that will be posted every TGI Fridays. 

Enjoy!

A Doll Study

Anderson Cooper, a CNN Journalist, covered a feature story based off a study authored by Dr. Kenneth B. Clark. This study was done in the 1940’s and Anderson wanted to redo the infamous doll test, but this time he used pictures instead of dolls. The doll test was about race in America and unfortunately as a result, not much has changed regarding perceptions of self and others even being some sixty years later. The new study proved that both black and white children have a bias in favor of light skin color.

"Among the dozens of Black and White children tested in this new study, a significant majority identified Whiteness with likability, success, intelligence and good behavior, while identifying Blackness with non-likability, failure, a lack of intelligence and bad behavior."

This is interesting to me to see that these little kids are already conforming. My purpose of this blog is to get to the bottom of this brain washing. One probable cause could be that of "white supremacy." It has become so deeply ingrained it has become a virtually involuntary reflex. Blacks and other people of color eventually conformed to the established order, and defined themselves through the prism of European culture; the present symbiosis between white supremacy and black inferiority was sealed in the West.  Solving the problems of supremacy and inferiority will require a renewed effort among whites and blacks alike to confront the legacy of America's ugly history. (Muhammad, William P. 2010)

Interestingly enough the study was redone in 2009, when Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States as while Michelle Obama became the First lady in history. The experiment was slightly changed up a bit. The children this time had the option of saying neither and/or both. I wanted to make notice, since this is a beauty blog, that 47% of the little black girls said that the white doll was the prettier than the black doll.

 My only explanation for this is that mass media has a great effect on its consumers. It also goes back to the parents. Parents need to instill values in there households of equality. This may be hard for some minorities because they are mass marketed by a Caucasian dominated society. When you look on advertisement whether it is on television or magazines, the masses of the people that are seen are Caucasian. There needs to be an equal balance to show there are different races and that beauty comes in all shades and sizes. We need more love and less hate.

Asian's Wanna Be

Today, digital media makes the world one global village. The more media reaches many countries, the more media becomes culturally rich. However, westernized beauty is becoming a single standard. Due to the media spreading outwards, I found that many Asians want to have similar facial structures as Americans; double eye-lids, a high nose and sharp charms.

Saeko Kimura had new life after she got prettier face by making her eyes bigger with glue. The positive outcome is that she gained confidence and self-esteem of her appearance by improving her face, while the negative is that her appearance is not the same way she originally had as an Asian, but looking more "American." She was willing to lay down on the operating table and pay enormous costs for eye-lid creases. The procedure took only 10 minutes and she got permanent double eye-lids which she had always dreamed of. Now, the plastic surgery has boomed up in Asian women and even men enormously, and it seems there is no limit to the increasing rates of people who have done plastic surgery. According to Lisa, a reporter of TIME magazine, a million procedures were performed last year in Taiwan, double the number from five years ago. MailOnline says, in Korea, at least one in five adults have done plastic surgery and upgraded their faces, and even students who go to middle or high school have had their eyelids done.

Also based on my experience of 20 years in Korea, I have watched so many girls get double eyelid surgeries as their graduation present. I don't think it is a person's fault if the person has a complex issue of his/her appearance and he/she makes money to invest in a better appearance. However, the problem is that many have done it in very young age with their parents' support. Why do they trying to do it before they are even grown up and enter real society. I have thought about it and I think that is it because we live in a society which values a standard 'beauty' the most in life. I think beauty has to be considered not only in appearance but also one's own inner beauty or personality. What is the point of only pursuing to obtain a beautiful face only to keep getting older and eventually die?

Every culture has its own beauty, but now more and more Asians want to look like Caucasians.

Now most people influenced by media are answering to what the prettier face is; westernized beauty, like a barbie doll.

       "The Chinese and Korean patients tell me they want to have faces like Americans," said Dr. Kim Byung-gun.

 

The irony is that even Americans are addicted to plastic surgery. WebMD reports that more than 10 million cosmetic procedures done in 2005. So, what is real beauty? If many Americans are addicted to plastic surgery for beauty while Asians are trying to catch up American beauty standard, then what is the ultimate goal of beauty for both of cultures?

Urban Hair

 You can tell when an African American has become successful by the color of their hair. The more successful they get, the more contemporary they look. Let’s take look at Beyoncé and Rihanna for instance. Rihanna started her career with black hair, as while  Beyoncé started her career with ethnic braids.Now that they have become international artist their hair color had changed to blonde. 
 Below is Rihannas' and Beyoncé before and after pictures.

Why do black people or minorities have to change the way they look in order to become successful?  Everybody has conformed except for Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg. Oprah is a T.V mogul that has millions of dollars. She’s not skinny, she wears her natural black hair, and however she does have green eyes. Maybe the green eyes and the occasional flat ironed hair give her a pass perhaps? Who knows?

Whoopi on the other hand, couldn't be further to conform than any other woman in history in the African American Culture. None the less she has had the most awards ever in the African American culture such an Oscar, Emmy, tony and the list goes on. Whoopi has natural dreads and she does not use sex appeal to make money unlike her components Beyoncé and Rihanna.

This raises the question; do you have to conform in order to become successful? Are these celebrities conforming because they like themselves better with blonde hair? Or is having blonde hair a requirement of moving up the ladder in the entertainment business? Oprah nor Whoopi has not changed their look, why has everyone else?

Oprah and Whoopi are journalists and talk show host while Rihanna and Beyoncé are musical pop stars. Are they changing their styles to stay relevant for mire entertainment purposes or is it a problem between black men not accepting black woman or minority woman as they are?

I’m not blaming the westernized mundane Caucasian people for this injustice. My question is why do black woman conform into appealing to white audiences? If black man stood up for black woman and dated within their own race then maybe there would be less pressure to look white. Also black woman need to have higher self-esteem and know that there black is beautiful.

Let’s take a look back into the beginning of this conformity of the straightening of the hair. This goes back to Madam C.J Walker, she invented the straightening comb. The straightening comb is designed for black people to straighten their natural tight curly hair to lavishly straight hair like a white girl. The purpose of the straighter was for black people to have easier hair maintenance to control hair from breakage. But really I think implicitly that it was invented for black people to appeal to white America to gain acceptance and/or equality.

There is a website called My Black is Beautiful,which encourages and uplift black woman to know that they are beautiful.

To the left is a picture of straighten hair natural curl hair.

Advertising Is Legalized Lying - Ads & Beauty

What is the most effective way to attract people in media? Advertisement. However, some exaggerated ads magnify actual function of product or does not reveal actual effects. Especially, beauty in media is very well visualized and easy to tempt consumers in variety ways.

"Advertising is legalized lying."
by H.G. Wells

Exaggerated Ads Showing Unrealistic Image

Every cosmetic product advertisment show wrinkle-free, no pimple or blemish and no freckle face of models which is totally unrealistic. We should be aware that the product will not achieve the same results as in the ads. For example, in Britain,The Advertising Standards Authority banned two misleading beauty advertisements; Lancome's Teint Miracle foundation and Maybelline's The Eraser. I think if the advertisement is obviously exaggerated or exceed certain limit of regulation and misleads people's perception, the government or nation have to alert its dangerousness to public. Moreover, individuals also need the ability to not believe 100% what it is looked on ads.

 

Side Effect of Diet Pills

Taking doses of diet pills for being looking skinny is a very sweet temptation. The perception of 'proper body,' if influenced wrongly by media, may lead people in serious situation, even death. If the weight can be lost by taking just one pill, it is a miracle. Face it. It won't ever happen. However, many diet pill advertisements do not have enough explanations about side effects or chemicals which may harmful to your body. Therefore, we should be aware of the ingredients in diet pills and not be absolutely dependent on pills, but use as accessibly while exercising. Media shows us only good sides and does not reveal the bad sides.

 

Cosmetic Surgery

Now that we can see all over TV, magazines or the Internet about the cosmetic surgery, we might think it is done easily. Media makes us conform to certain types of beauty such as a high nose or big breasts. We can easily find celebrities who have done cosmetic surgery so that we are less aware of how it is serious. Are we really pursuing and conforming to having the same face and body structure made by media no matter who we are?  According to KoreaBang websites, plastic surgery in Korea is socio-cultural phenomenon. Seriously, South Korea's plastic surgery is hotpotato in Korean culture these days. Check the websites and see how serious the problem in South Korea has and what the netizen talk about it. Next time, I will deal with this social problem in Korea more detaily.

 

Since advertisement industries are attracting people by showing unrealistic images, we should not believe what it is itself on the ads. In short, we need to filter the image on the ads.

Wasting A Blessed Time - Media Influencing Teenage Plastic Surgery

Due to today’s visual technology, the need for looking good or perfect, and keeping up with the most recent beauty trends is now part of our daily lives. Especially, celebrities’ belongings, such as brand name items and clothes, and their near perfect bodies in the media aspire us to follow and want to be like them. However, too much of it is as bad as too little. Wearing nice clothes and trendy make up like them would be fine, but our body shapes or facial structures cannot be the same as them. Today, what I want to discuss about is plastic surgery, especially among teenagers.

According to a new study conducted by Central YMCA, 25% of kids, ages 11 to 16, have considered getting plastic surgery due to what they see on television. It was found that over 50% of the girls and over 33% of the boys compared their bodies to what they saw on television.

Plastic Surgery for Teens



Image: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Some plastic surgeons insist that plastic surgery really improve the self-confidence or self-esteem of people. However, for teens, plastic surgery may damage their whole growing periods because they are vulnerable and insecure in that time. If the outcomes are not good as they expected, it is too late to blame on TV.

Boys are not an exception. According to Clinic Expert website, the number of procedures for men carried out has increase to 4,298 in 2011 from 526 in 2003. Males are also aware of their appearance, comparing themselves to unrealistic body images of media. Having muscles and six packs on their bodies are now their standard of beauty, so they are willing to take a pill to get them. According to Beautiful Magazine Online, it is serious problem because the children are not being encouraged to take care of themselves and their health in a healthy way. Working out and diet should be the most helpful and inspiring way to having a healthy body, but it seems to take a while to get it, so they are looking for an easier more instant result. 

I want to point out that what we see on television are all fakes. TV stars (celebrities) tempt our children by saying “I can eat whatever I want to eat and still thin,”or “I didn’t do anything and I am still look young.” However, they may take diet pills to maintain their nice body or do plastic surgery to be looked young. For sure, the stars always have trainer to keep their nice body and coordinators to make their appearance nicer. The thing is they are all ‘well-made dolls’ to show up to the public. It is not happen in reality. This is why we shouldn’t believe them by their image in the media but people are easily engrossed in these kinds of image without hostility or consideration, especially children.

Like I mentioned, it is just ‘trends’ like a ‘flash.’ Especially to teens, pursuing unrealistic images unconditionally is basically meaningless. It is also wasting time getting stressed from keeping their body shape like TV images. At this time in their lives, they should eat whatever they want to eat and grow until they are responsible enough to take care of their own bodies.

Barbies of all Colors

The closer you are to the Caucasian race the more you mirror what is defined as being beautiful. Because I am so far off from being white, I am not considered a classic beauty. I am not attractive to mundane America, because my skin is too dark and my body is too curvaceous. There maybe a few Caucasians that consider me to be beautiful, however in a broad-spectrum; I don’t meet the westernized standards.

 
I love this quote written by C.S Lewis: The beauty of life is that youdon't have to be modernly beautiful to live it. You don't have to be modernly beautiful to live it. This rings truth to me because I consider myself to be beautiful; however I am not considered modernly beautiful based off the representation of Barbie. Barbie is a classic beauty that young girl aspire to emulate.
 
In the article, Ann Ducille on Ethnic Barbies, written by Lisa Wade PhD, examines Barbie dolls. It illustrates how ethnic Barbie’s are basically white Barbie’s with a little color and a change of clothes.  It does not explore that beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes. It clearly shows how images of white barbies that are on the market sets the standard. Those implications shows off the mire essence of what being beautiful in America looks like.  In the article it also displays Mattel which manufactures Barbie, capitalizing on creating “ethnic” Barbie, yet it is molded off the prototypical Caucasian. Society needs to end the means of appealing to peculiar measures of beauty and begin with embracing self. 

As you can see below, all of the Barbies are white based with ethnic clothing.