Anti-Racism Education and Eurocentric Beauty Standards

Written by Solange Lavi Dorsainvil

Many students of colour feel shamed for their “coloured features”, whether that be a bigger or longer nose, differently shaped eyes, darker skin, or varying body shapes. Many students are not aware of the correlation between the parts of themselves they’ve grown to hate and the parts of themselves that look the least white. What if there was space made to talk about the many Asian, Black, Latin (etc.) features that are in fact… beautiful! …Just in the same way that these racist judgments were formed, they can be dismantled, through education and conversation. These subconscious ideas we hold about ourselves or others were not our own to begin with. They were crafted and formulated in a thought out and preconceived way, meant to keep us segregated from each other and ourselves. There is room for healing here. There is room for repair and regrowth of new ideas on what is beautiful. 

This month's topic is one I hold dear to my heart. I will be discussing the effects of eurocentric beauty standards on the young and impressionable minds of IBPOC students. Through recognizing the role that the school system plays in many students' lives, it will become abundantly clear why more education around this topic is needed. I will highlight specific topics to include in any anti-racist beauty training in schools and the importance of each of them. Hopefully this information can guide an essential discourse. 

Why is it important to examine eurocentric beauty standards?

Before looking at why it is important that this conversation makes its way into the school system, I think it’s essential to highlight what the entirety of school can represent to students. School is education: in every meaning of the word. Not only is it the information shared in biology, or English classes, but it is also the beginning of lifelong friendships and the home to some first-ever heartbreaks. The school environment is the host for 18 years of life and experiences that form identities and establish self-esteem. This conversation is so necessary because of this fact; the living entity of the school system shapes children into the adults they become. Recognizing this fact opens up room for conversation about what more should be taken into account when building curriculum. 

IBPOC students have a unique experience when it comes to the wrath of the beauty industry and its eurocentric, unforgiving chokehold. Especially in predominantly white environments, IBPOC students of colour can fall into unhealthy self-loathing and self-deprecating patterns. For example, for many IBPOC women, being a teenage girl can feel isolating and invisible. Many girls of colour feel overlooked, unattractive, made fun of for their “weird” or “ugly” features, and constantly feel inferior to the white, blond, and blue-eyed girls they're surrounded by. Many Black girls report feeling as though they’re seen as masculine or angry; this then also leaves them feeling unwanted. This may not seem as though it has anything to do with schooling, but it comes back to the central dogma of the system and the end goal of education. There is nobody telling these students that their differences due to race should not feel shameful or shamed upon. There is a lack of education all together when it comes to beauty standards and their effects, but for IIBPOC students, there is no education at all about the extra challenge of the eurocentric aspect. High school especially is a breeding ground for judgment and insecurities. Education around diversity training should start at a young age and the beast of western beauty standards should be incorporated. 

Beauty standards affect everyone with a pulse, and hold a lot of weight in the lives of youth today. There is no one person who can be blamed for making this feeling; it is the construct of systemic racism at hand that needs to be looked at, dismantled, and acknowledged in the classroom. The ignorance of eurocentric beauty standards creates an inferiority complex for anyone whose appearance does not match that of their white peers, and it creates a breeding ground for subconscious racism from non-IBPOC students. 

Though I wish it weren’t the case, appearance plays a big role in the lives of today's youth. Therefore, this conversation is necessary in establishing safer spaces for students of colour. These comments and judgements become internalized, and can begin to shape IBPOC students' perceptions of themselves; for example, deeming their own selves as ugly and unworthy. Luckily, there is space in classrooms and hallways to widen the perspectives of your students, and teach self-compassion and adoration from a young age, not by ignoring their differences but by recognizing and applauding them. 

The importance of anti-racist beauty training:

Hair: For many people of colour, especially Black Canadians, hair plays a huge role in their everyday lives. The eurocentric gaze idolizes straight, long, and silky hair. For many people this is not their hair’s natural way of being and they are constantly reminded of it. The judgment from peers when their natural hair is worn and the praise that comes when they straighten and damage it-it all adds up to an internalized hatred of their own natural hair. A simple conversation in the classroom could be incredibly important and even life-changing for these students. It could also begin to chip away at non-IBPOC students' perceptions of what is beautiful. Black hair has been an age-old struggle that has resulted in a whole host of serious issues, including increased risk of certain cancers due to long-term use of chemical hair relaxers, and loss of hair due to heat damage. 

Almost all Black women portrayed on TV or film have “straight” hair. Strong Black female figures that young black girls look up to including Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and many others, who are always seen with straight and unnatural hair. What does this say about our culture as a whole? It is not these powerful women or actresses' faults that they do not feel comfortable in their own hair, but in turn it creates an expectation for the IBPOC and non-IBPOC youth of what looks “presentable” and “attractive”. Personally I have struggled to embrace my natural hair. Of the few Black people in my predominantly white school, almost all of them have straightened, unnatural hair.

Teaching about this historic battle with Black hair through conversation, film, and literature, opens up the space for IBPOC students to appreciate their natural hair, and feel appreciated by those around them. That way, everyone has the information they need to honour what is different and valuable in its own right. 

Features: Many students of colour feel shamed for their “coloured features”, whether that be a bigger or longer nose, different shaped eyes, darker skin, or varying body shapes. Many students are not aware of the correlation between the parts of themselves they’ve grown to hate and the parts of themselves that look the least white. What if there was space made to talk about the many Asian, Black, Latin (etc.) features that are in fact… beautiful! How could this begin to change the social culture in the schools? These students go out into the world and share their belief systems with a greater community. The change made in schools could have a global impact. 

The beauty industry: This billion dollar industry has as long a history as anything else. For something that plays such a vital role in students' lives, it is talked about so minimally and not critically enough. Education on the industry itself, its goals, its history of racism, and the ongoing harm it perpetuates, is essential in this topic. The beauty industry feeds on insecurity to make profit, by whatever means necessary. Awakening this generation of students to the truths of this money hungry industry and the differing effects on each minority, sex, and gender would empower these students to stand against it, and more importantly stand with themselves. 

Summary: 

Just in the same way that these racist judgments were formed, they can be dismantled, through education and conversation. These subconscious ideas we hold about ourselves or others were not our own to begin with. They were crafted and formulated in a thought out and preconceived way, meant to keep us segregated from each other and ourselves. There is room for healing here. There is room for repair and regrowth of new ideas on what is beautiful. There is no way to control what students are inundated with outside of school, but the six hours they’re in school every day, there is ample space for growth. Could this impact the community you are in? The city? I believe it could. But if nothing else, it could create a safer, more accepting space for students of colour within schools, as well as building a more tolerant, appreciative, and inclusive community of people.

This project is funded by the Government of Canada. 

Links: 

First Large Study of Hair Relaxers Among Black Women Finds Increased Risk of Uterine Cancer

Hair relaxer use and risk of uterine cancer in the Black Women's Health Study