Conversations centred around the pure beauty and femininity of black woman are objectifying, not inclusive and widely Eurocentric.

The narrative has also been falsely controlled by history, the media, beauty institutions and societal stereotypes and perception often rooted in an institutionally racist gaze. Why should the only standard of beauty society celebrates only include women with pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes? Then, when the black woman is celebrated, it is often hypersexualised or often symmetrical in comparison to their counterparts. A white woman would be portrayed as innocent, beautiful, gracious and pure and the stark comparison for the black woman is to be portrayed as dirty, non-gracious, kinky and devilish.

These unhelpful perceptions further fuel and perpetuate negative stereotypes and causes frustrations, lack of confidence and uncertainty that women spend years to overcome and it takes effort and awareness to erode these complexities away from generation to generation.

I’ve got some good news; the standards of beauty and femininity are changing…

Yes, beauty can inherently be divisive especially when one community believes that one standard of beauty is more superior to the other. And as for femininity, some traits are celebrated by different cultures more than others. This means femininity and beauty is a social construct, and like all constructs, it can be undermined by modernisation, jolt in cultures, time and consumer tastes. Therefore, beauty and femininity are temporal, fluid and can be easily altered.

…. whist the ideas of beauty and femininity are changing, conformity is NOT the key.

Although the standards of beauty are changing, we should ignore trying to fit in and overthrow the imposed criteria. Here are three ways to undermine the notion of trying to be like models and negating societal standards of beauty and femininity.

Take account of your own reality
The media, models and fashion industry are not the spokesperson for how your body should look like, though they may try to sway and decide which bodies, style and traits are desirable, ultimately you decide. Choose to take back your body and celebrate it in the context of your own perceptions.

Discover your identity
Learning about yourself and natural traits is important because it is the source of inspiration for your style. Your personality, preference and persona are very pertinent to how you feel about femininity and beauty and how you wish to demonstrate these traits.

Understand your composition
Be attentive to your undertone, texture, facial features and body type. The way you apply your makeup, style your hair and clothing will help you feel achieved and your femininity and beauty will have a natural aura and organic glow.

Want to learn more about femininity and beauty beyond the perceptions of looking like a model?

Join our exclusive course where you can learn more about embracing your nature, tools to display and learn confidence whilst mastering your look. More importantly, you will also learn the harmony between your inner values and display these in the spaces you occupy.