the rebirth of black beauty in non-black women syd clark • s y d kralc • dys lc a r k

“You’re so extra” or “She’s so ratchet” are phrases many Black women have been told during their lifetimes. Black women’s personalities are always made to appear as “too much” or extra. However, many aspects of our personalities have become quite popularized within Western media Celebrities like Iggy Azalea and Awkwafina have been able to capitalize on the stereotypical tropes of Black women and make these traits mainstream. The capitalization of Black women doesn’t end at just their personalities – we’ve also seen instances of cultural appropriation soar in popularity within the past few years. This is evidenced by the emergence of Tiktok trends like “sticky bangs” in reference to laid baby hairs and the use of cosmetic surgery and almost comical fake tanning to embody Black culture without the socio-political drawbacks of genuinely being a Black woman in the West. On the outside, many would assume that there is no problem with non-Blackwomen portraying these characteristics, calling it “cultural appreciation.” However, this phenomenon is controversial as they embody stereotypes and change themselves to garner internet popularity or achieve a laugh, effectively monetizing Black women’s traditions for their gain. The Black woman’s vernacular, physique, and hairstyles have all been commodified and popularized by non-Black people.

Actress Awkwafina who appeared in films like Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi is a perfect example of a non-Black celebrity who profited from the rebranding of Black culture, specifically a blaccent. She has come under fire within the past few years for using and abusing a blaccent; however, within her “apology,” she never actually addressed what she did, thus prompting many to continue to call her out on her wrongdoings. Author Britni Danielle tweeted about the situation and Awkwafina’s apology saying, “All these words and not one apology. Awkwafina could have just said: ‘You were right. I did use a blaccent to make a name for myself, and that was wrong. I wholeheartedly apologize, and I’ll do better from now on” (Britain Danielle Twitter). Nsenga Burton is an Emory professor as well as a writer and influencer who spoke on the impacts of cultural appropriation while being interviewed by CNN. She states, “it creates a dangerous paradox by celebrating Black culture- but only when highlighted by non-Black people,” she continues “Non-Black celebrities are celebrated in entertainment for appropriating African American culture, especially our vernacular, while African Americans are either demonized or overlooked when speaking in Black vernacular” (CNN). The usage of this speech is negative toward the perception of Black people and creates a narrative in which all Black people are meant to speak in one way. However, this generalization is dangerous and unfair. It’s worsened when you factor in that it’s unacceptable for Black people to speak in this way, but it’s comical and interesting when non-Black people speak in that way. There has been a revival in this speech as many have found this vernacular “cool,” which has created many cases of people replicating or mimicking AAVE without knowing the deep history behind the reason many Black people speak in this way. Speech is not the only thing that is emulated. A recent trend in replicating and recreating the Black female anatomy has become popularized in American culture.

“Oh my God Becky, look at her butt. It is so big, she looks like one of those rap guys’ girlfriends. But, ya know, who understands those rap guys? They only talk to her, because she looks like a total prostitute, okay? I mean, her butt, it’s just so big. Uh, I can’t believe it’s just so round, it’s like out there I mean, uh, gross, look. She’s just so, Black” (Baby got Back). This famous song by Sir Mix-a-Lot indicates previous attitudes toward Black women’s bodies. In the early 19th century, a young African woman was used on display in European countries because of the “strange” body she had. Her name was Sarah Baartman, and she was “brought to Europe seemingly on false pretences by a British doctor, stage-na- med the “Hottentot Venus,” she was paraded around “freak shows” in London and Paris, with crowds invited to look at her large buttocks” (Parkinson). For an extended period of history, the bodies of Black women were depicted as inferior because of these bodies. “The depiction of colonized Black women in these writings represented tthem as having monstrous, “unwomanly,” bodies that were not beautiful and admired as were the delicate bodies of their white counterparts” (Gentles-Peart 199). This translates to the 21st century as we’ve witnessed a rebrand of the Black female body as being desirable and sexually appealing, thus creating a mass hysteria during which non-Black women have begun replicating these bodies that were once undesirable because of this renaissance and celebration of thicker and voluptuous bodies. “A 2018 study by the American Society for Plastic Surgeons found that butt-enhancing procedures had increased by 256% since 2000” (TIME). Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, who has been known to appropriate the cultures of Black people, are an example of a non-Black woman being celebrated for her curvy figure. “It’s a vicious culture that valorizes curves on wealthy, racially ambiguous white women, but stigmatizes these traits on Black women” (TIME). The bodies of Black women aren’t the only things the Kardashians have appropriated and “popularized”. We’ve also seen Black hairstyles be repopularized, especially on non-black people.

Black women’s hair has been debated for long periods of time. Constantly criticized and deemed inappropriate, our hair is consistently a topic of discussion. From afro to box braids, there have been recreations of Black hairstyles on non-Black people, reinforcing an unfair double standard. As these styles have become repopularized and “stylish” we’ve seen purported representations of these styles. Many of these styles being recreated have historical and cultural implications making the recreations feel disrespectful and tasteless. Dr. Cheryl Thompson says, “For young Black girls, hair is not just something to play with, it is something that is laden with messages, and it has the power to dictate how others treat you, and in turn, how you feel about yourself” (Thompson). Our hair carries a deep connection to our outward perception, especially in American society, so seeing hairstyles created for and by the Black community appropriated for trends is hurtful. “When Kim wore cornrows and beauty writers dubbed them ‘boxer braids,’ rebranding the longtime protective style worn by Black women as a trend inspired by boxers” (TIME). Kim Kardashian branding these braids as “boxer braids” facilitates the erasure of Black culture/history and normalizes Black hairstyles but only when recreated on non-Black people. “These hairstyles are a personal choice rooted in vanity that can be easily removed or wasehed away… there is immense privilege in choosing to wear Black hairstyles when it suits one’s aestheitc, while also having the ability to opt-out of the prejudice associated with these hairstyles in instances when this aesthetic is not deemed acceptable” (Centennial).

In conclusion, American society has seen a rebirth of Black Women’s characteristics and styles on non-Black women, thus creating an unfair dichotomy as many Black women have historically been demonized for these characteristics non-Black people are adopting for aesthetic or trend-following purposes. “It shoes that beauty and body standards are shifting as they’ve always done, this change comes by way of white women, ultimately to the detriment of Black women” (TIME). For centuries Black women have been made to feel ugly and inferior by society’s standards so for their characteristics to be popularized through appropriation is unfair and unjust.

Citations: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35240987 https://twitter.com/BritniDWrites/status/1490077931959304195?s=20& t=29RquV6bloYsIMzEjfFqrQ https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/08/entertainment/blaccent-explainercec/index.html https://www-jstor-org.proxy.library.emory.edu/stable/26421171?searchText=kim+kardashian&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dkim%2Bkardashian&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A938c00deca6a193997ae267174887757&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents https://time.com/6072750/kardashians-blackfishing-appropriation/ https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=mfsfront;c=mfs;c=mfsfro nt;idno=ark5583.0022.105;g=mfsg;rgn=main;view=text;xc=1 https://centennialbeauty.com/why-cant-white-women-wear-black-hairstyles/