In a 2004 paper, "Emulated Through Images: The Globalization of Misconstructed African American Beauty and Hip-Hop Culture", written by Kerri Reddick-Morgan from Georgia State University, the ideals of Black and White beauty are briefly but concisely discussed and compared based on evidence found in popular media and throughout history. The author presented a strong diatribe against the misconstrued notion of "white is beautiful" that many girls, not only African Americans, around the world are adhering to. Fashion and modeling magazines, TV shows, and movies have presented the ideal African American beauty as having a slim figure, fair skin that can pass for white, and straight black hair. To quote: "In the U.S. specifically, many Black women were faced with a beauty ideal that did not resemble the reflection in the mirror. Many entrepreneurs began and sustained successful businesses based on selling the white ideal to the Black woman. Skin lightning became a common practice in the Black community (Russell 1992)."
According to a 1991 survey by the New York Department of Consumer Affairs, only 3% of all models in magazines are Black. The few who did appear in these ads were cast into stereotypical roles: athlete, musician, menial worker, a charity case or a child. The range of acceptable "images" that an African American can be shown in are sadly limited and depictions of women were debased, like being a maid or housekeeper. If seen in print, she'd be selling feminine hygiene products.
After the popularity of Bill Cosby's The Cosby Show soared, more Black women were seen in commercials. However, the roles remained predictable - housewife, overweight cleaning expert, sweet grandma, and soda drinking teens. This "myth of absence" that producers and advertisers force viewers to believe affects how African Americans are viewed by the public and even by the Blacks themselves. As Kerri Morgan have written: "What we see or don’t see affects how we think and feel about others and ourselves."
For the advertising industry, the emergence of the "ethnic" market did not immediately transform into greater representation in the media of colored models - Black, Asian, and Latinos. Instead, ethnic minorities were used in separate ad campaigns targeted outside of the general market, specifically in Black, Latino and Asian media. As a response to this exclusion, Black models rejected the notion that dark brown skin predestined danger, fear, and poverty, and at the same time, sexual power and primitive authenticity. They worked towards erasing the idea that lighter skin signified safety, accomplishment and astuteness, but also instability and yearning.
The author had observed from Summers' (1998) "Skin Deep: Inside the World of Black Fashion Models" that a very different view of a Black woman’s beauty is represented in the runways of Milan and Paris. These has served as stepping stones for many highly paid Black fashion models. Despite the widespread racism, many of these Black models found acceptance in the fashion world. Iman, Naomi Campbell and many other African American models jump started their careers on runways in Europe. One model Carol LaBrie suggests that she was openly accepted in Europe because she was a beautiful Black woman. Unfortunately, this beauty was and remains for the most part the European ideal of slim, fair skinned, with long straight hair and light eyes.
Another negative consequence that many Black models faced in these Euro-dominant societies was distaste for natural Black hair (kinky, curly, braids, etc...). As long as the unsuspecting public was appeased with the new, beautiful, and still fair skinned faces, the cosmetics companies who sponsored them could breath an uneasy sigh of relief.
While Black models – and women in general in the developed world--blithely conducted experiments on themselves, they were also being observed and imitated by women in less developed countries. Top fashion model Elaine Evans comments, “Black people in Africa looked up to African American women for beauty in hair but not fashion, because they think we dress terribly. But for hair and makeup, they know we’re the most advanced, so they’re following us” (Summers 1998:142).
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