Eurocentric Notion of Beauty : SCRIPT Day 41 & 42

IDC4U1-42 Ms. Huynh June 18th, 2025 The Impact of Eurocentric Beauty Standards on the Self-Image of Women of Color In today’s society, different cultures guide the role of beauty, and one of the most significant standards is Eurocentric beauty. Such criteria lay stress on aspects such as straight hair, pale skin, and thin body shapes. Women of colour fail to achieve such standards, and thus this can hamper their self-esteem. This conformity to these beauty ideals may lead to some emotional and psychological damage, especially to those who have natural features that cannot match the ideals of beauty. This paper examines the Eurocentric definition of beauty centred around straight hair and thin body types and its effect on the self-perception of women of colour. The Eurocentric beauty standards, with their focus on straight hair and skinny body types, harm the self-perception of women of colour due to the volatility of the ideals promoted in them, marginalizing their natural beauty and developing self-esteem and body image concerns. Defining Eurocentric Beauty Standards Eurocentric beauty is the ideal that comprises the set of physical qualities that are usually associated with West European features. These norms give preference to straight, long hair, fair skin, and a skinny and tall body type as the best types of beauty. Fiveable (2024) observes that they have become among the most accepted features of beauty and have become global as the media in the West features them extensively. Most of the women of colour can never conform to  2 these beauty standards, and this leaves them feeling inferior, compelling them to adjust their natural methods of beauty to conform to the society. Ambroise (2023) notes that media, advertising, and popular culture do not only teach the Eurocentric beauty standard but also advocate it throughout the years. The Negative Impact this has, on a Women of Colour’s Self-Image These beauty standards have a severe effect on women of colour. Among the most prominent battles is one that concerns hair texture. Straight hair is regarded as more desirable than curly or textured hair in most cultures. Mohamed (2021) emphasizes the fact that students of colour are often challenged or even must straighten their hair to look respectable according to these standards. Such an order to identify with Eurocentric standards may reduce the self-esteem of women of color because they are being repeatedly told that they are not born beautiful. Moreover, the desired small size of the body that is stereotyped as Eurocentric beauty standards can dissatisfy their bodies, particularly in women of color, whose body types cannot correspond to such standards. According to Keigan et al. (2024), Black and biracial women tend to develop body dissatisfaction because they internalize these ideals of beauty and do not regard themselves as fitting within the standard definitions of beauty. Vouloumanos (2023) also states that failure to fit the thin standard often leads to emotional issues in many women of colour, and this may influence their mental health and general self-perception.  3 Media’s Role in Reinforcing Eurocentric Beauty Standards One of the most important parts is the media in its role of preserving these Eurocentric beauty standards. The images of such ideals have been enforced on social media platforms through the use of lighter-skinned, slim women with straight hair that are commonly found in movies and advertising settings. Such continuous bombardment with the so-called narrow beauty standards contributes to the overall society perception of beauty and the way women of colour perceive themselves. According to Grit Psychology (2024), the image of beauty and the perfect body as suggested in media may be harmful to the body image, leading to eating, depression, and low self-esteem issues. The invisibility is further reinforced in women of colour as they are seldom regarded as the idea of beauty. Media images depicting diverse beauty are also not so vast, although these last years have witnessed an improvement in featuring various skin colours, types of bodies, and hairstyles. Although some attempts have been made to broaden the concept of beauty, the impact of Eurocentric beauty has not been displaced yet. The representation of women of colour in the mainstream media remains insufficient, and the trends towards the representation of women of colour in the mainstream media remain stereotypical. Addressing the Issue and Promoting Inclusivity The negative effect of the Eurocentric beauty standards can be overcome by promoting and accepting the idea of beauty in many ways. This involves celebration of natural hair textures, skin tones, and body types. The women of colour should get empowerment to elevate their selfesteem and body image to make them love their natural characteristics. According to Mohamed  4 (2021), having more women in the media who have various features may deconstruct the detrimental stereotypes about beauty. Additionally, beauty campaigns with different body types, hair textures, and skin tones can disrupt the established reality and contribute to the creation of an inclusive understanding of beauty. Owing to what Ambroise (2023) refers to as the trend toward natural beauty appreciation, in most industries, including fashion and even beauty products, there is an increased tendency toward the promotion of natural beauty. Such a change plays a vital role in enabling the women of colour to embrace their beauty and own their skin, regardless of hair texture and body proportions. Conclusion The Eurocentric beauty standard, which focuses on the character of straight hair and thin body types, leaves a long-term adverse scar on self-perception among women of colour. These beauty standards exclude the natural aspects, thus making women of colour feel inadequate or unworthy to be beautiful. The media is instrumental in enforcing these standards and may change by the increasing presence and excavation of beauty in all its forms. Through accepting and hoping for a wider concept or definition of beauty, society can enable women of colour to feel powerful enough to be themselves and to work on defying beauty norms of the time that can be destructive.  5 References Ambroise, A. M. (2023). How European beauty standards are harming people of color. Medium. https://angelamambroise.medium.com/how-european-beauty-standards-are-harmingpeople-of-color-3032a4e266be Fiveable. (2024). Eurocentric beauty standards—(Intro to philosophy)—vocab, definition, explanations. Fiveable. https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/intro-philosophy/ eurocentric-beauty-standards Grit Psychology. (2024). The role of body image and media influence: Understanding the impact on eating disorders. Grit Psychology. https://gritpsychology.com/the-role-of-body-imageand-media-influence-understanding-the-impact-on-eating-disorders/ Keigan, J., De Los Santos, B., Gaither, S. E., & Walker, D. C. (2024). The relationship between racial/ethnic identification and body ideal internalization, hair satisfaction, and skin tone satisfaction in Black and Black/White biracial women. Body Image. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101719 Mohamed, I. (2021). Students of color reflect on the impact of Eurocentric beauty standards. The Daily Texan. https://thedailytexan.com/2021/12/15/students-of-color-reflect-on-theimpact-of-eurocentric-beauty-standards/ Vouloumanos, V. (2023). 16 people of color share how Eurocentric beauty standards affected them growing up. BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/victoriavouloumanos/poc-talkeurocentric-beauty-standards